The Price of Loyalty
by Maereland
Summary: [Undergoing Rewrite] When Joshua "Jay" Guthrie arrives at Xavier's School for Higher Learning, he's inducted into the Hellions training squad, one of many at the school. Meanwhile, rivalries flare between them and the New Mutants. Leadership, friendship, and loyalty are questioned when Field Day arrives and one of their own is arrested due a misunderstanding of their tragic past.
1. Chapter 1: Flight of Icarus

Chapter One: Flight of Icarus

"I said to my soul, be still and wait without hope, for hope would be hope for the wrong thing; wait without love, for love would be love of the wrong thing; there is yet faith, but the faith and the love are all in the waiting. Wait without thought, for you are not ready for thought: So the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness the dancing."

—

**T.S. Eliot**

**New York City**

"The mutant menace must be stopped! How long does the government plan on risking our lives by allowing these monsters to live among us as if they were safe? I swear that I, Senator Kelly, will rid us all of the mutant threat. You see, citizens, I have been working with my fellow compatriots to begin a movement against such dangerous individuals. You will be safe. No longer will you need to live in fear that these savages might come knocking on your door! I promise you this!"

The crowd roared loudly in applause as Senator Kelly walked away from his podium and down the steps of City Hall. They were blinded by his honeyed words, by his passionate tone. But did they really know what the mutant menace was? Had they any real clue as to what they were positively against? For most of the people in that crowd; no, they did not. For the way Kelly was painting the picture was one of falsehood and pent up paranoia. Not every mutant was a terrorist or a horrid person. You cannot judge an entire group of people just because of the actions of their worst few. However, not everyone followed this rule.

After waving to the masses of fans and supporters, the Senator retreated into his luxurious automobile of choice. It was chauffeured, of course. Next to him sat the esteemed man known as Warren Worthington II, a man who had as much hatred for mutants as he did money. And Warren Worthington II had a lot of money.

"I can almost swear that the people become more excited at the prospect of mutant annihilation with each speech you give, Senator. You make a very convincing argument, as you should. This is making things so much easier."

Kelly told his driver where to go before sitting back and sending a small and cunning smile to his partner in justice. The masses were so easy to mold into whatever shape he wanted them to take. They were like malleable globs of clay, his words the hands that formed a piece of art made of their fears and worries. People were scared of what they did not understand. Many people did not understand exactly what mutants were. It made his work all the easier.

Could they really be the next stage of evolution? Were they a punishment sent from God upon his beloved people for having sinned? There were countless theories out there, and Senator Kelly would use each and every one he had at his disposal in order to eradicate those damned creatures from the face of the earth.

A bitter laugh escaped the man. "The people are idiots, Warren. Show them their nightmares and they will follow you like the stupid, loyal dogs they are. It is us, the men with the plans and money, who will come out on top. The people will get nothing but false satisfaction in the end by knowing that one threat is dealt with. There are millions of other problems in the world that they will complain about the next day. But we… we will be the true winners, in the end. No one is going to change that."

Almost every single day, more mutants were being persecuted from their homes and towns because of the terrifying propaganda that was being spread along the nation like wildfire. If the populace believed that mutants themselves were a horror, imagine having an entire society you grew up with turning against you and throwing you out like some leper. It was a haunting experience on both sides of the coin, but most were only willing to see one. The world was becoming worse and worse by the minute, but no one was willing to do anything about it, lest they be ostracized.

No one, that is, but one group of heroes willing to risk their lives for worldwide peace between all of mankind; mutants and humans alike.

**Charlotte Price, August 30: Thursday, The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning**

It was nearly the end of summer vacation.

Soon, a new semester would start, new students would arrive, and some of the older students would either move on to college courses or would leave to live out their lives. The rest of them would stay and train within separate squads. Many of the students were taking advantage of their remaining free time, and were relaxing amongst their group of friends, littered about the school's grounds and halls. The weather was warm and somewhat stifling in Salem Center, Westchester, New York during that time.

It was actually a very unique time of year for the institute's inhabitants. New students would arrive during the end of summer, some extremely uncomfortable and shy at the sheer aspect of being in an unknown environment. Others would jump right into the groove of things. And then there were the students who kept to themselves for fear of close contact. Those tended to be the most interesting.

At least, so was the case for Charlotte Price. The cherry blonde with the mysterious smile and cheeks littered with light freckles. The petite girl with sea-colored eyes, a quiet but knowing disposition, and a knack for knowing just what was going on in someone's head. She found the quiet ones to be the individuals who were most surprising. Shockingly enough, it was always true.

But Charlotte wasn't the kind of person to be seen alone or locked away in her bedroom to escape interaction with her peers. The seventeen-year-old was very social and open, and she was more than glad to be known as "Cheshire", for her ever-present smile.

"I heard Miss Frost and Mister Summers talking about a new student!"

"The rumor is that it's a musician!"

"I heard it's a Guthrie!"

"Like Cannonball and Husk?"

Charlotte looked up from drinking her soda by the kitchen's island counter in slight surprise, a mere widening of her eyes. The very name 'Guthrie' was a popular thing around the school. Currently, there had been two students who had gone to the institute by the name, and both were idolized by those who were following the same path. Now that there were rumors that yet another member of the family was joining the student body… they would carry a degree of expectations.

Whether or not they chose to act upon these expectations was completely up to the individual, of course, but that didn't change the fact that most of the teenagers would be interested in the poor newcomer because of their name only. A smile crossed the teen's face as she turned back to drinking her fizzy beverage. Let them continue their gossip. She would absorb it all, naturally.

"So is it a boy or a girl?"

"A boy… I think. Mister Guthrie said something about a younger brother."

"So did Paige!"

_It looks like another male Guthrie, then. Cannonball and Husk's gifts are very different from each other's. Does this factor apply to the newest one? Is there a chance that he'll carry a variation of their abilities, or one completely his own?_

Someone chose that moment to sit down next to Charlotte, chair scraping lightly against the tile underneath. A silver gleam reflected against the glass Cheshire drank from, effectively catching her attention as she noticed the familiar appearance of her squad mate, Cessily Kincaid. Where Charlotte was fair-skinned and pretty delicate; Cessily was made of non-toxic mercury. Her body looked sinewy and trained, the ginger hair atop her head being the only organic thing on her body. These factors made her given code name very fitting: Mercury.

The mentioned teammate turned to face her. "So what are you thinking about the rumors?" She was straight to the point, as she usually was, and Charlotte was thankful. She set down her drink as her smile widened all the more.

"I can almost sense that things are going to get very interesting around here upon this Guthrie boy's arrival. The excitement is almost palpable," she muttered before taking a quick drink. Indeed, the buzz of anticipation was hanging over the heads of the student body, which was really nothing new to those who had been there for more than a year.

"I wonder if he's cute. Sam is pretty cute, isn't he?" The interrogative musing came from behind the two teammates. Only Charlotte grinned at the words. Cessily only shook her head with a sigh.

Another voice was speaking now. "Yeah, I guess. Paige is pretty, anyway. At least she got rid of that accent. It's so… Southern." The grin on Charlotte's face only grew at this statement while Mercury's shoulders grew a bit tenser as she had reached out to grab her own drink.

Cheshire took another drink then before meeting her friend's metallic eyes. The cherry blonde's grin was all teeth with no discerning emotion. _Even amongst those of us who are shunned by society, we cannot find the decency within ourselves to abandon certain distastes. We still judge those we do not know, and we do not think to apologize for it, so long as no one finds out. People really are so very interesting…_

"I don't know… I like Mister Guthrie's accent…" That soft tone could belong to no other person in the entire school besides Laurie Collins. Instantly, Cessily's body language became that of a dog who had just spotted its favorite toy to prey on. Laurie, known as Wallflower, was a member of a rival squad to both girls. Because of this, Mercury sometimes had a habit to pick on the timid girl. Charlotte attributed this behavior to their team leader, however, and therefore could not fully state her opinion on the matter to Cessily directly.

The ocean-eyed girl tilted her glass, catching her friend's attention successfully. Laurie's day would remain as it was… for now. "I agree with Laurie. The accent he carries is very unique, and it is very nice to listen to. I think it feels warm." That proper tone with a hint of an accent would be Sofia Mantega, one of the two leaders belonging to the squad in which Laurie resided. Her given codename was Wind Dancer.

After a small moment of silence, which resulted from Sofia and Laurie's opinions on the matter, the hushed gossip sprung back to life with even more fervor than before. Charlotte almost felt bad for the boy she would inevitably be meeting. He had all of this fame because of his siblings, and he would be forced to carry that weight whether he wanted to or not. If he was the kind to despite disappointing others, he would have a rough time in the school. But if he did not care… what would they think then?

Her smile only continued to grow as she listened on.

"When did they say he was arriving at the institute?"

"I heard the teachers talking about it before. I think they said he was getting here tomorrow afternoon with their mother. Apparently, he doesn't want to go here. What a weirdo he must be, huh?" That masculine voice came from the doorway. It belonged to Julian Keller, Hellion, honorary leader to the squad which both Charlotte and Cessily were placed in.

His blue eyes found them right after he spoke. Both girls knew what was next, and they were already hopping off of their chairs to meet him by the door. "There's a team meeting in ten, you two, so don't be late."

Hellion was overly confident in his abilities and flaunted them as much as he could. However, he was also a strong leader who knew his way around a challenge. For that main reason, Julian was a successful and promising leader to the team.

"No matter how much you talk about extra training with your squad, Julian, you will not be better than any of the other teams. This is a school, not a place for competition," chided Sofia. Whenever Julian was involved… she came to the call. It was a recurring pattern if the two happened to be in the same room as each other.

Despite the way Sofia believed this was a school for young mutants to train their abilities, Charlotte could see the underbelly of the infrastructure. They had all been put into squads for a good damn reason. The students were being trained for battle in the Danger Room, not only for practice and honing. There was something else that came into play when Scott Summers and Emma Frost began to run the place, and not everyone was blind to it.

Most of them were, however.

An all too familiar smile made its way to Hellion's face as he found the voice of his favorite girl in the same room he was. "Anything you say, beautiful." In other words "You're wrong".

He shrugged his shoulders and then stuck his hands into his pockets before walking away without another word. However, to his teammates, it said all that it needed to.

As soon as he left, the two girls finished their respective sodas and put them into the recycling bin. The only thing circling in their minds were the possibilities of what would lie within the meeting Julian was making a fuss over. It probably was about how the new year would be starting and how they would need to discuss tactics and training schedules, if Charlotte knew her esteemed leader, which she did.

"It's not even the first day of school and I see Hellion already hounding us this week to put in extra time in the Danger Room. What about you?"

Charlotte blinked her eyes and shrugged those small shoulders. "I wouldn't exactly doubt it, knowing him. He gets extremely competitive when it comes to the other squads, especially our particular friends over there," she whispered while hinting at Sofia and Laurie with the smallest flick of her fingers. "I mean, Miss Frost only pushed the squad regime at the end of last year. How were we supposed to know that Julian would take it upon himself to become Alpha Commando overnight?"

"I just wish he'd give us a break, considering…"

That caused the New York native to look away for a moment to stare at the landscape through the pane of glass from the kitchen windows. "I agree with you. He's wasting what could possibly be his final summer here… as well as ours."

It was her final year as a student at the school, just like it was Julian's. He wanted them to leave a mark like no other squad could. And with his leadership, she was confident that they would do just that. She just wished that he would have given them to the start of the school year, in case any other new members would be added to their roster. No one knew whether it would happen or not, after all. It might throw of the balance they had as a team if a new teammate was tossed into the mix at the last minute while they had already begun squad training, and Julian's plan of an early start would suffer from the proverbial wrench to his well-oiled machine known as the Hellions.

The two girls then made their way out of the kitchen and toward the usual meeting spot with little else but the present clouding their minds while the gossip and rumors continued to flow behind them about the newest Kentucky-born Guthrie joining their ranks the next day.

**Joshua "Jay" Guthrie, August 31: Friday Afternoon, The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning**

Even inside of the luxurious car the school had sent to pick he and his mother up, Jay still felt extremely cramped inside of the metal walls. Then again, it wasn't as if he actually wanted to go to the school in the first place. The entire thing had been his mother's idea. However, Jay couldn't bring himself to be upset with her. She had a very good reason for sending him here against his wishes, and he knew it. He just didn't like it.

Lucinda Guthrie was sending her second oldest son to the institute because he had recently begun trying to commit suicide. In a series of recent and horrible events, Jay lost the love of his life, Julia, and could not seem to drag himself out of the depression and grief it brought him. Lucinda could not bear the thought of her son being so depressed, especially if it brought him to multiple failed attempts at his own life. Jay could not die. Well, not anymore, at least. Once his dormant mutant ability to heal from any injury activated, all wounds would seal themselves right up. So he tried, and tried, and tried again to end his life. It never succeeded. Seeing him in such a state finally pushed Missus Guthrie to enroll him at the school, so that he may find himself again. Sam and Paige were much happier after they met with people like them, who possessed special gifts. There, they learned how to hone their own abilities, and were better for it.

That is why she was confident that Jay would find his way if he went to the school also. It was worth a try, even if Jay was not happy about going there at all. He would probably come to see that this decision was for the best… given enough time.

"Ah'm sorry if this ain' what you want, Joshua. But Ah can' see you sufferin' like this… Ah love you."

"… Ah know, Ma."

At that moment, they entered the gates of the institute's campus grounds. Jay could already see a few of the students playing sports or chatting with friends on the grass, and some of them had physical mutations. He had never seen anything like it before. A part of him was awed by it, honestly. They looked so happy and free here. His head was still a squall, however, and his eyes a bit duller than his mother had ever seen them. It broke her heart to see him this way, and he knew it. Jay did want to feel better. He really did. It was just so hard to forget what had happened to her… to Julia… let alone try to move on.

Jay didn't think he could ever forget. In the least, he could try to get on with his life and see what else the world had to offer him. That was what his mom wanted for him. She would never ask him to forget Julia, no, but she would want him to live a happy life as best he could with what he was given.

Would Julia want the same for him? Could he ask the girl he loved such a thing? Did she want him to move on so he could be happy again? His jaw clenched as the image of Julia Cabot's face flashed through his mind for what was probably the billionth time since her death. A sharp and impacting pain blossomed in his chest, right where the only scar on his body was. It was the only scar on his body that had never healed.

The scar he gave himself that took homage right where his heart lay inside.

Above them, the sky was clear. There was a light breeze in the air. It seemed like a beautiful day to the common person. However, all Jay could take notice of was the pain in his heart and the anxiety building within his gut. Once again, he bitterly thought about how he didn't want to go to the school, but was being pushed into it anyway. How long would he be stuck in there until his mother realized that it would do no good? It would probably only me a month or two, if things continued like they were. He was hoping that this would be the case.

Jay was not looking to make friends, or even acquaintances. He just wanted to go to the damned classes and get the work done and then go back to his room to do whatever he felt like. No one would even put a nick on the wall he would put up to separate himself from his peers. Hopefully, there were people smart enough in the institute who would realize that he was just some guy who doesn't want to be there at all and they will just leave him be.

That was something Jay could only hope for as the car finally came to a complete stop in front of the entrance to the school. The sun gleamed against the windows, which blinded him for a moment as his mother opened the car door and got out to greet his older siblings. They were Sam and Paige… and they looked so happy.

When Sam left for the school, their mother was apprehensive, at best. She had no idea of what the school would be like or how it would affect him. But she was relieved when Sam came for a visit looking cheerful and proudly demonstrating how he improved during the time he was away. Then it was Paige's turn to go to the institute. It was the same thing. She went to the school, uncertain as anyone could really be, and she came back proud. Things just weren't the same when it came to Joshua Guthrie.

By no means was he happy to be there, especially not nervous (as he kept telling himself). He was just putting up with things as best he could until it was time for him to go back home. Why couldn't anyone understand that it was just too hard to be happy now that Julia was gone? Did no one in the whole world get what it felt like to lose the one you loved?

There had to be… So why couldn't anyone understand what he was feeling? Why wouldn't they just leave him be?

There was his mother, which he understood how she couldn't ever understand him. She loved him. It was in her nature to wish his happiness, and she wholeheartedly believed that going to school at Xavier's would bring him just that. It was worth a shot, she reasoned, it really couldn't hurt.

But now… now it was time to face the music.

_Ah can sit in front of crowds without breakin' a sweat, but gettin' out of a car to get to school makes me shake in my boots. Good job, Jay. Pa would be proud of you. _His sarcastic musings were thankfully just that; musings. His mother would tan his hide a ripe shade if she heard him chiding himself like that when there were already people crowding around the car to meet him.

_Groupies_.

So he gave the… crowd… what they wanted. Joshua Guthrie stepped out from the car somewhat awkwardly, not at all used to the additional change his mutation brought along. Finally free from the metal box also dubbed a car, he stood up straight and allowed the crimson wings set on his back to stretch and flutter for a moment to get the feeling back in them. Some of the red feathers caught the light of the sun, giving them a unique sheen all their own.

Already, he could see the pure awe in many of the students faces. Some were more used to physical mutations, of course, but most of them just looked at him with the most enchanted expressions. It was nice to be looked at without fear, and Jay actually felt the smallest of smiles begin to press at his lips.

It was a nice feeling to be welcomed so readily. But that was when he noticed his two older siblings standing in front of the crowd, their smiles widening as they spotted little 'Joshua'. That wasn't who he was anymore. The Joshua they knew had grown up and left. He was 'Jay' now, and Jay was very reluctant to even take another step toward his siblings to share in their joy. How could he celebrate coming to a school he did not want to be in when he had a responsibility to watch over his little brothers and sisters? Then again, it wasn't as if he were doing a good job of it recently, considering how he'd been feeling.

A part of him felt terrible for how he had been shirking his duties as the 'man of the house' just because he felt this way. However, the more pained side stuck with the notion that he was just not in much of a state to be of any help to anyone.

"Welcome to the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, Joshua Guthrie. My name is Emma Frost, and I will be your advisor." Smooth but clipped speech reached the Southerner's ears, and he was faced with the headmistress herself in her golden-haired glory. Every article of clothing on her body was pure white. Even her lipstick was a gentle shade of powder, which struck him as odd. "I know you're not all too excited in being here, Mister Guthrie, but that doesn't mean that you're not welcome. We'd be honored to have you. The students are very excited to meet you."

_Ah'm sure they are. Ah'm the newest Guthrie, righ'? Just another ta add ta the group, probably… _

"_You would be surprised at the number of students that already see you as your own man, Joshua. Do not be so quick to judge, my dear. It's very unbecoming." _That voice was inside of his head. He knew it belonged to Emma. For a split second, he wanted to glare at her, but stopped himself before that coiling snake had a chance to strike at someone who was only trying to help.

When had he started being so quick to snap? There was a part of him that realized how right his mother might be at making him go to the school. There would always be that small part of him that truly believed his mother knew what was best for him, and trusted her endlessly for it.

But right now… he was only caught in his expression of slight surprise as he matched his green-eyed gaze with the icy stare of his new headmistress. The brown-haired man next to her who wore red glasses spoke next, a sense of authority lacing every word and movement. "My name is Scott Summers, the headmaster of this school. I'm sure you're going to like it here, Joshua. The students here are pretty friendly, if given the chance, and your family will be here to help you through anything. You also have us. Welcome to the institute."

With that, they both exited the scene, Scott telling some of the other students to not crowd around Jay even if they were curious about him. To be honest, Jay was starting to feel pestered by all of the stares he was receiving by now. Hadn't they had their fill of looking at the new freak? Grabbing his guitar case, he slung it over his shoulder before grabbing his luggage. It wasn't as if he had much. The Guthrie family wasn't the most well-off when it came to money.

The look his mother was giving the back of his head was practically burning by now. Jay only turned halfway to look at her, expression not one of the kindest he'd given her in his life. She looked hurt for a moment, but recovered with a strength that could only be attributed to Lucinda Guthrie. Her blue eyes were shining with held back tears. How it hurt her to see her teenage son in so much pain—and she was pretty much unable to do a thing about it. She was doing what she thought was right. Jay however did not see this. He needed to begin living for himself again, rather than putting the needs of the family before his own. That was what she wanted for him.

Lucinda Guthrie wanted her son to start living again, as a teenager should.

"Ma… if Ah wanted ta come ta 'Mutant School', Ah would have said so." They were now walking toward the opening to the school. Some of the curious students had dispersed to go about their own business, but a few still remained as if they had nothing better to do. _Then again, it's their summer vacation, righ'? They probably don' have nothin' better ta do than stare._

"Ah wouldn' have kept my **wings **hidden from y'all and—," he tried to explain, but found himself cut off by his mother. "Joshua. If you had **really **wanted yer wings hidden from everyone, you wouldn' have revealed them onstage ta half the town durin' yer rock an' roll show."

His mother's expression then became downcast. It was as if speaking those words had wounded her on the inside, which Jay did not doubt. He knew his mother loved him dearly—to no end—but he just couldn't bring out that inner child that adored his own parent and wanted to thank her for caring about him even when he was being a brat. This inner beast was gnawing at that part of him, fueling his frustration and pain, redirecting it toward her. It was so unfair. Everything was so damned unfair.

"But now it's time you did somethin' for **you**, without having to worry about the rest of us."

_Please, Jay, don' say what yer brain's tellin' you…_

"If that was what you **really **wanted, you would have let me stay at home with my friends an' band," he snapped as he leaned his shoulder against a brick column. For a split second, he regretted saying it, as his mom's face looked even more distressed than before. He wasn't helping anything by being an ungrateful punk to someone as kind-hearted as his mother. Jay was arguing with his inner being at the moment, caught between despising himself and despising everyone else. He couldn't stop the anger or the bitter feeling of life being unkind.

He sneered. "This is for **you**, not for me, Ma…"

Jay took his leave then, mainly because he didn't think he would be able to see the hurt look on his mother's face if he had stayed. He'd said what he had to—regrettably. Sure, it had hurt, but it was now over. He was going to have to go to this stupid school no matter how much he didn't want to and he was stuck blaming everyone for his problems. Of course Jay knew he was in the wrong… but it didn't stop that inner voice from whispering doubt into his thoughts.

He muttered under his breath once his mother was out of earshot. "…So it's not on yer head if Ah try ta **hurt myself **again." The strap of his guitar case had started digging into his shoulder, so he adjusted it, which caught the attention of a passing group of kids who all glanced at him for a moment before shuffling away in a fit of whispers.

But the real topper to his day was when he actually entered the impressive infrastructure known at the X-Men's Mansion. The ceiling was high, like a church, and it had this elegant feeling you only got from rustic homes. The outside looked so modern that Jay was thrown for a loop when he caught sight of the vintage-looking panels lining the walls and the olden style arches that separated the corridors. He was admittedly slack-jawed for a good minute before he caught himself. Was this why Sam and Paige liked it here so much? Because it was big and fancy-like? Did it make them feel like they were a higher class than they really were?

He knew Paige hated being known as a 'hick'. She fought to hide her accent and tried to surpass the norms expected of her. It bothered Jay greatly. Then again, could he really blame her? Sam was proud of his roots and continued to be openly proud of his family, however. But how could he be so proud of a family he never took the time to visit unless it was convenient for him or if he had the time off?

Looking at the students chatting amongst friends or walking through the halls with their own business, he almost felt that things would be normal here even if it was a school only for mutants. It was almost tame for its hype. Sam and Paige said amazing things about this place, no matter how much he disliked being there. Was all of it an exaggeration? Not so, as he was almost knocked back when a pink-haired girl with… butterfly wings flew by, giggling as if she were on a coaster. A furry… boy… was running after her, laughing just as gleefully.

His eyes were wide as he watched after them zipping through the throngs as if this were normal behavior. Knowing the stories, though, it probably was. It was going to be a hell of a challenge, getting used to this place. Jay sighed under his breath as he began to ascend the stairs of the foyer.

"Aw man, look at this zoo…"

**Charlotte Price, August 30-31, The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning**

Their esteemed leader was currently ranting on how he would not live it down if they were to look weaker than Josh Foley's own team of losers… besides Sofia, of course. She could never look like a loser in Julian's eyes (this being a rendition of Julian's exact words). They also were discussing on how the rumor that Emma was planning on taking the new Guthrie kid was true. She was to be his advisor, and in that light, their new team member. Julian was not pleased in any sense of the word. Charlotte, however, was practically the definition of calm as she sat with her back against the wall and watched the show unfold before her with that smile on her freckled face.

"How the hell am I expected to incorporate some hillbilly into our squad in less than one week? He probably has the IQ of a cow pie or whatever they call it!" Julian was definitely not pleased. A curve ball was tossed in his direction, and he had no idea whether to swing or let himself strike out. It was at times like these where Charlotte felt a bit of sympathy for their squad leader. He had a lot of responsibilities, despite how much of a jerk he tended to be. There was a whole lot of stuff on his plate. People were very quick to forget that when speaking to him, however, and that was where he faulted greatly.

Of course no one said anything about the way he was sassing a person he had yet to meet, and no one would. When Hellion was frustrated or upset about something, it was best to let him get it out of his system lest you find yourself telekinetically tossed outside of the nearest window. So Cheshire just sighed at his attitude and granted herself the courage to raise her hand.

"Shoot, Cheshire."

He was actually using codenames in closed quarters? Oh he was very upset about this new member indeed. For a moment, it crossed her mind on how amusing it all seemed for Julian to be so bothered by an unknown person. It would be even more ironic if this mysterious Guthrie ended up being an asset to the team as a whole. Their leader would sing a very different tune then, for certain.

"What if a selected member of the team were to spend some extra time with him whenever we weren't busy? We would be able to add more training while not actually compromising ourselves as a whole. It does seem like a logical answer, given the short time we have. Since we are still on vacation, we don't really have much to do otherwise. What a shame it would be to not spend that time actually relaxing or enjoying ourselves, correct?" The last jab did not go unnoticed. Julian's face ticked for a moment, in realization, not anger. She was right, it seemed.

He cleared his throat. "If we can promise to give our best… I guess I can hold off training until the Danger Room is actually set up for squad runs. It wasn't as if Emma was thrilled with the idea of us training before schedule, anyway. But this guy better not give me any crap. We have a good thing going for us in this squad, and I don't want some hick from… from…"

"Kentucky."

"… Yeah. I don't want some hick from Kentucky mucking it all up for us!"

While it was one of the things that bothered Charlotte about her squad captain—only one of many, assuredly—his way of blithely insulting someone just because of their upbringing was a sign of how cleverly he tried to hide his own insecurities. There was very little a person could hide from the cherry blonde. Julian knew that. That was why she understood more about the teen than anyone else in the school, save Miss Frost or some of the other teachers.

"Are we understood, team? Training is postponed until Emma announces it and make sure the new guy gets into the groove as soon as possible. He gets here tomorrow. So put on your best faces. That means you, Rockslide," chided Julian as an attempt to lighten the tense mood in the room. As always, Santo Vaccarro retorted with a nonplussed snort. The teen was huge, and made completely of rocks. Dubbed the 'powerhouse' of the Hellions, he was certainly not one to be messed with. He threw his weight around with abandon and was not shy to argue his point… when he managed to grasp the situation well enough. Julian usually handled the verbal disputes.

"It got it, Keller. Hey, maybe Price should handle the new guy. You know how she has a way with people and stuff." "Did you just refer to my abilities as '_stuff_', Santo Vaccarro?" Charlotte leaned forward in her seat and tilted her head curiously. It wasn't as if she was bothered by his words, since it was Santo, after all; but seeing his reactions was always fun.

"And so what if I did, Price? Are you gonna give me a free shrink session?"

"… You're picking a fight with me, so no."

A grin broke out on his face, matching that of Charlotte's like a morphed reflection. Then, he chuckled and stood up, patting her forcefully on the back as he walked past. "Now I remember why I like you so much, Price. You're smart with words, not just your head. And you can hold your own in a fight. Triple threat in such a weak-looking package. Ha!"

The rest of the team stared after him in shock, except Charlotte. Brian Cruz certainly carried a confused expression as he tried to piece together whatever that had been. Finally, he found his voice and directed it to Cheshire. "That was… interesting, Charlotte. Did you see that coming?"

"I'd be lying if I said that for a moment there… I was ready to protect myself. But Santo is a good person underneath it all, if a bit rough around the edges. I was mostly certain that I was safe." Mostly certain, she had said. It was not a total lie. The young girl had been unable to sense any bad intentions in her team member, and therefore did not engage him. He was picking a fight because he was bored. That was Santo's way.

She grinned happily, gathering her satchel and swinging it over her shoulder. "I suppose I'll see you guys tomorrow, then? Megan planned some sort of… thing for us when I got back. Don't ask. I know I don't bother doing it anymore."

"Actually, Cheshire, I wanted to ask you something. Alone."

Now that was an odd request to receive from Hellion. Her smile faltered just a bit as her expression mulled along curious and direct. Where was he going with this sort of secrecy? She hoped it had nothing to do with a certain Venezuelan who he happened to be smitten with.

The rest of the team shuffled out with the shared expression of curiosity. Even Sooraya Quadir, whose emotions were a bit difficult to read since she was always wrapped inside of a burqa, had a glimmer of a question in her dark eyes. This was certainly an odd situation that Charlotte was unsure of. She did not like being unsure of anything.

Julian closed the door once the last person was out, sighed, and then turned to face her. "I'm going to be straightforward with you, Char," he began with the use of her nickname. It was something he saved for behind closed doors. That meant that he was going to ask her for a favor.

"This is about the new member."

For a moment, he looked surprised, but then he laughed when seeing her still smiling face. He should be used to her way of reading him by now. As soon as he'd called her by her little nickname, she had been aware that he intended to use her for something necessary.

"I just want you to… talk to him. Make him feel welcome and maybe get a hint of who he really is underneath it all. Remember, we don't know how this kid ticks. We don't know anything about him besides his family practically breeds mutants and they live in drab county, Kentucky. Maybe you can get him to… I don't know… get used to things a bit faster? I just want you to help him settle into the changes faster than usual so he can begin joining in meetings and training at a better pace. Do you sort of understand?"

_You want me to make this poor boy speed up his free time for your own gain to outshine Foley, even at the cost of his enjoyment? I understand, yes, but will I do it? No. Has this squad placement plan really turned you into such a power-hungry fool, Hellion?_

"Leave him be for now, Julian. Let me see what I can do. But I am not promising anything as of this minute. Do you understand **that**?"

Without waiting for an answer, she was up and out of the room. She didn't want to see his disgruntled face or his sneer at the moment. She just wanted to go back to her room, get onto her laptop, listen to music, and chat about nothings with her overly hyperactive roommate. But now the nagging thought about having to actually meet this Guthrie boy was gnawing at her. What would he really be like when faced with challenges in the Danger Room, or even the challenges of going to school with mutants?

_I feel bad for this boy and I haven't even met him yet! The older two seem happy enough… but what about him? _

That was when she found herself in front of her bedroom door. She would have to worry about how her new squad mate would react when she actually met him. Worrying now would do no good, for obvious reasons. Julian would not gain his advantage by forcing the poor lad into a Hellion Boot Camp so long as she was able to stop it. Spirits only knew what he might have gone through beforehand, considering the hostility toward mutants only increasing in the last years. Perhaps he would not be just like his siblings in the least. Maybe, by chance, he would be a new kind of Guthrie that no one could have expected to be from the family.

A smile formed on her face, increasing as she placed her hand on the knob of the door.

"Now that would be interesting."

.:: The Price of Loyalty ::.

The much-awaited guest of honor had just arrived at the institute. Like many of the students who needed their thirst for curiosity quenched, Charlotte joined them in their gathering at the front entrance to the school. Of course, she had been hastily dragged there by her excited roommate, Megan Gwynn. It was certainly one of the most hectic things she had ever witnessed, seeing all of these students crowding around one area for one single person to arrive. You would think the young Guthrie was a celebrity approaching the red carpet.

In a way, however, he was. The Guthries may not be rich and they may not be famous to anyone else but the people within the institute's walls… but they were famous in a way. The children of the family seemed to continue developing mutant powers. It was fascinating to scholars such as Professor Henry McCoy, who sometimes wondered if it was genetic and only possible with the DNA strands of the Guthrie family themselves, or if it might be passed on to other families. The family was a beacon of sorts to mutants who knew of them. However, this was mostly kept to whispers.

Would you like it if you discovered a bunch of people respected you because of your mutated bloodline?

Perhaps, some would, but not a mutant family. Not in this time or place. It would be seen as nothing more than a curse or a problem. It was sad, but true.

Now, Charlotte did expect the boy to be anxious or even shy upon his arrival, as any regular new student would be. What she didn't expect to see was him with nothing short of an absolute scowl on his face as he exited the car. But even with that damned look on his face and the obvious tension in every shift of his limbs, the crowd went silent for a moment in absolute awe.

Large, crimson wings fluttered behind him as he moved. They caught the light with a glory the likes no one had seen since Warren Worthington III's time as Angel. But they were white. These… these were a deep red. Like his hair. Exactly like his hair. It was astounding, to be blunt. There were no real words to describe the emotional standstill that washed over them for that split second. Megan was one to recover quickly, however, and she took her leave to search for Nicholas.

Charlotte barely heard her words, the girl's attention still very much occupied with the surly Kentuckian who stood not even two feet away now.

He was muscular, that was for certain. It was more so than Julian or Brian while still being tasteful and not too bulked, which was nice, admittedly. He was wearing a wife beater, though, and that didn't leave too much body to the imagination. Cheshire couldn't see his eyes because they were downcast. It was slightly bothersome. But his skin was lightly tanned, which meant that he spent a good deal of time outside. As he stepped a bit closer to her own location, she visibly twitched. The males of the Guthrie family seemed to always be decently tall. Samuel was very tall, but this one… he was about Kurt Wagner's height. She paused then, noting the heated conversation he began to have with the woman who accompanied him. Seeing the resemblance, it was obviously his mother. So this was the mother to Sam and Paige…

_He's not a quiet speaker, is he? That baritone voice is lovely and all… but hardly useful when trying to have a private conversation with your mother about how you're suicidal, didn't want to come to a school full of freaks, and just wanted to stay home and be a lonely rock star. Does that sum it up? I suppose it does…_

Some may have seen her mental commentary as rude, but that was why said commentary was just that—mental. It summed up the situation nicely for her. The words were blunt, honest, and crippling when repeated aloud. This meant that they were probably true. As she stared directly at him, she began to pick up small snippets of a strong emotion. A powerful burst of fiery red, anger, pooled in a mass with hints of sorrowful greys and blacks swirling about it like a plague. Only a glimmer of forest green lit up the eye of the storm. That was his essence, being blocked out by the nightmarish emotions that threatened to swallow his entire being if it continued to fester.

Charlotte knew then that this boy was an emotional wreck far beyond anyone she had encountered; which was saying something since she had interacted with Kevin Ford more than once.

She dove back into that darkness without hesitation. As per request, she needed—wanted—to find out more about him. Jagged yellow-greens of anxiety and regret tickled at his core. The red continued to swarm over the other shades, as if trying to conceal them from her. It was the prominent emotion for the time being; the anger. He was angry at everything… regrettably so. So he didn't want to be angry at all, but his brain continued to send that signal that he should be. The red-haired teen wasn't sure what to feel, so he was confused and in pain. When someone feels so much hurt and so much regret, it blossoms into something much for volatile.

Those emotions begin to form into a deep hatred.

If he allowed these emotions to continue inside of him without seeking help, hatred would begin to bubble up (deep black and green, like venom) and cover everything else, including his essence. Hatred would swallow everything he ever was and what he could have been. Charlotte then took her leave, a sense of cold disturbance settling in her gut. Never had she truly regretted having her empathic powers until that moment. The worst part was, she hadn't been touching him and she could already feel that much distress from him. Imagine if they ever made skin contact? All of the colors and music would attack her and probably overload her senses to the point where she would abandon all differentiation between reality and that world.

Now that would be something dreadful to go through. This meant that she was going to have to help him feel better somehow. Hopefully, he would be receiving a good roommate, not one like Julian or Santo that would rile up that anger or any other hidden feelings.

Cheshire's skin was covered in goose pimples by the time the new student had entered the school and disappeared from her sight. His mental state was in shambles, but she could not hide the absolute smile on her face as she considered the possibilities.

That Guthrie boy was extremely interesting, and she was going to find out more about him.

_For starters, _she mused as she twirled a lock of hair around her finger, _perhaps I should learn this red-winged boy's first name. I would hate to refer to him as 'that Guthrie kid' for much longer. He might actually be offended. Then again, with his mental state, I think just about anything might set him off…_

_But I might just be overthinking this. He __**is **__a Guthrie. They do tend to have benevolent hearts despite their inner turmoil. _

Her train of thought was abruptly halted as she spotted Sooraya amongst the dispersing crowd of students that had been around her not even a moment ago. Silently, Charlotte mused on the bravery she must have to wear all black during the summertime, but did not voice it. She did have a cheerful smile on her face when she reached her very covered teammate, however.

"Emma told me to tell the others that we will meet with the new member tonight after he is introduced at dinner."

_She is always so proper. Well, more so around boys. I should be thankful she at least comes up to the females._

"Oh, well thank you, Sooraya. If I pass by anyone else, I'll spread the word."

"… Did you see him?"

That abrupt question was uncharacteristic of the girl, and it caused Charlotte to actually be thrown out of her concentration for the smallest of moments. "Who are you talking about?"

Sooraya looked almost… nervous? It was always hard to discern her emotions. "The new boy, I mean."

_Ah, she means 'angst Guthrie'. _

"Yes, I did. He isn't too happy about being here. Maybe he'll change his opinion after dinner or during the meeting. A lot of kids come here hating the place and then end up never wanting to leave. Who knows, right?"

Charlotte saw a nod, but it looked somewhat hesitant. Cheshire could only pick up snippets of emotions from where she was standing, the distance from Sooraya being decent enough for communication. She could only sense the deepest emotions through touch. There was… pink and white excitement at the prospect of a new recruit, which was natural. A hint of a sour green, which was nerves, probably. The teammate was another male, another person she needed to hide herself from. Finally, the brush of navy sadness showed its face, hiding under the other colors. She didn't want to be even more different than she was, being a mutant, but her religion and lifestyle called for it. Sharing a room with Noriko Ashida did not help the feeling, either. Dust felt trapped within the burqa, almost like it was a small holding cell for which she could not escape.

Sooraya just wanted to be accepted.

And with just that echo pushing through her mind, Charlotte was back in the real world. She quickly gathered a craving for tea, anything to calm her nerves after delving into someone's emotions so deeply and suddenly.

"I'll see you at dinner, my friend. You're free to talk to me whenever you want. So… don't be shy to approach me, Sooraya."

_Spirits know that you would never speak to Julian, and your roommate is less than… understanding, it seems._

Charlotte then walked into the school with a tiny smile splitting her face. While things looked bleak despite the sunny weather, that girl was one to look at the fine details; to appreciate the small things in life.

One of those small things took the form of a tea cup full of raspberry tea. Something inside of her gut told her that she would need to calm down and absorb the silence before dinnertime. The introduction of his crimson glory was going to be a show, for lack of a better term, and she was going to need all the preparation she could get. A warm cup of tea, a good book, and some quiet time while Megan was off playing with her squad mates.

She had three-and-a-half more hours to go before she needed to give herself back to the real world, and she was going to spend them as she pleased.

**Julian Keller, August 31: Friday Evening, The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning**

He honestly couldn't believe that they were adding this guy to his squad. That's right, his squad. Foley would never let him live it down if they were to be weakened by an overgrown chicken with an attitude problem. More importantly, Julian wouldn't let himself live it down. Cessily and Sooraya seemed pretty alright with the new guy, which was expected, while Santo and Brian honestly looked like they were thinking the exact same thing that Julian was: We are definitely screwed.

Now Charlotte's expression was the same as always. She was smiling while quietly sitting down by Sooraya, merely watching the hick boy with her unreadable eyes. Julian knew that she took offense when he asked her to try and convince **Joshua **to begin extra training right away. She felt that way even more now; he could practically sense it from her. Whatever this guy had been through before coming to the school, it was bad enough to make her actually want to defend him now, rather than just saying he deserved a break. This was something that bothered Julian greatly.

He had just arrived here in the afternoon, and he'd already made a mark on one of his most prized assets… This wasn't looking good for the telekinetic. If the Guthrie kid honestly did not agree with his methods and chose to go against him, who was to say that Cheshire wouldn't side with him as well?

Well, Hellion would just have to make sure to get on the bird's good side, then.

"So… Joshua? Do you have any ideas on a codename yet?"

"Call me Jay. An' no, Ah don' have any ideas." The Southern accent was thick, sure, but not as bad as he'd seen it on Sam Guthrie when the guy was mad.

"Huh, well, good idea on ditching the name Josh, dude. It's a chump's name."

In the corner of his eye, Julian saw Charlotte shift in her seat while her smile widened just a miniscule bit that not many would notice. She was amused by what he'd said… or was it because of how Jay spoke with his accent? He could never tell what she was grinning about, honestly, and sometimes it would really freak him out how calm she always looked.

The silence that followed those words from before was nearly stifling. The entire team sat in silence for a minute that seemed like an hour. Eventually, Emma Frost broke the ice by speaking to Charlotte, which Julian was glad for since it actually showed that the girl had a thought process someone could decipher.

Emma was the only one who really even tried to do so.

"Charlotte, dear, if you have a suggestion for a codename…" The mentioned girl sighed. "It is not my place to make such an opinion."

Silence once again, until…

"Ah don' mind. Ah mean, Ah have no idea, so anythin' would help."

Cheshire sat up from her relaxed posture. She was interested in anything that would make her think, made her pick at her mind while trying to appease the mind of another. That was one of the things that Julian knew made her tick. She loved to think.

"Your abilities are to… fly, I hope?"

He nodded with a somewhat uncomfortable expression. Why the hell would he not feel totally comfortable about flying? It was one of the most amazing feelings to experience when you had the power to. What kind of fool was this guy?

When Julian went back to looking at Cheshire, he could practically imagine the little cogs turning about in her head as she thought over all sorts of names and ideas that concerned the ability to fly. Jay looked like an angel with red wings, right? How hard could it be to come up with something? Then again, no one else had any clues or even a hint of one, so it was something within itself that she seemed to be thinking possibilities over already.

"What other abilities do you have, Jay?"

"Ah… can mimic any sound Ah've heard before. Even a choir, if Ah wanted ta. An' Ah heal in no time at all."

Her sea green eyes shot up to stare at the Kentuckian. Oh yeah, Charlotte was interested in this guy. In that Julian had no doubts. Not anymore, at least.

A long moment passed between them as she continued to think to herself, not even mumbling out loud like she tended to do during classes. No, she was thinking hard. For Charlotte, it seemed, there seemed to be two worlds in constant existence. There was the real world where everything existed physically, and then there was the world her mind created where she could think and her powers flourished in their use.

Then, a gleeful grin appeared on her face and she hopped up from her seat.

"I've got nothing."

The entire room looked at her with shocked expressions. Even the depressed sod Jay looked caught off guard. In the end, though, he looked confused while the rest of the Hellions were chuckling or laughing under their breaths.

Emma dismissed them then, telling Jay to rest up and that he would be shown around the mansion tomorrow by whoever he felt most comfortable with. There was no rush to delve into squad matters as the school year had yet to begin, but it was recommended so he could get a feel for the people he'd have along his side for most training sessions.

It was when they were leaving that Julian noticed Cheshire had remained behind to assist the new guy with questions. Whether she had developed a crush or whatever it was with him, the squad leader didn't like it in the least. But it really wasn't his business unless it directly affected their capability, and Jay might do that enough.

He shrugged his shoulders and turned away with a bit of a huff, following his male teammates back to the dorms before he actually said something about the red bird out loud.

**Jay Guthrie, August 31: Friday Evening, The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning**

The strange girl from before had chosen to stay behind. Silently, Jay was actually thankful that at least one of his new "squad mates" decided to be of some assistance. It wasn't that he found it rude, but it wasn't exactly hospitable, either. He tucked his calloused hands into the worn pockets of his jeans and walked out of his advisor's office to stand somewhat close to the reddish-blonde girl he didn't really remember the name of. Was it Sharon or Charon? It was something like that, he could swear it.

As soon as the door behind them closed, he rubbed the back of his neck in a sheepish fashion, which caught her attention. He noticed she had not stopped smiling since he had met her. It was both unnerving and charming. "Ah'm sorreh, but… what's yer name?"

The smile only widened, and warmth managed to seep into those blue-green eyes. Did that mean that this smile was genuine, or was it always so? This girl was definitely strange, he reasoned, but she was calmer than the others. It was a good thing in his book.

She stuck her hand out. For a moment, his mind blanked out. Girls usually didn't offer handshakes so calmly and suddenly as if it were habit. It was usually a hug or a kiss on the cheek, even a shy little wave when they were timid. This girl definitely was timid in the way those pale cheeks were rosy, but her mannerisms were strong and practiced.

They shook hands. After they finished the greeting, she laced her fingers behind her back. "My name is Charlotte Price, Jay Guthrie. It's nice to meet you, despite your current state."

"My… '**Current state**'?"

Charlotte shifted in place, sighing softly under her breath.

"You're not happy that you've been sent to this school, and it's making you act differently than you usually would. I'm an empath, you see, and you are much disrupted when it comes to your emotional state."

Jay felt a stab of anger through his chest as she spoke about his emotions with such a listless vibe. But it quickly dispersed when he felt that sincerity. Her voice only sounded nonchalant, even if she meant it to be sympathetic. He let it go, nodding his head in reluctant agreement. She wasn't wrong.

"And yer point is…?"

A large grin then appeared on her face. She knew something he didn't. As it was natural, he felt a sense of curiosity at this fact.

"My point is this: Don't wear yourself out by feeling so many negative feelings. You're going to burn yourself out until you lose yourself, until you crash."

_What is she gettin' at?_

"As your teammate and fellow mutant, my friend, I do not want you to get hurt more than you've already suffered. I don't expect us to become chums or whatever you call it, but you're one of us now, and I feel that I want to help you."

_She seems honest enough… An' she's not all 'Oh Ah'm so sorry for yer loss', so tha's a plus… But Ah jus' don' understand what she's sayin'…_

Another smile and this time a pat to his shoulder before she began walking away, hands laced again behind her back and a bouncy stride in her step.

"You need to back away from the sun, Icarus."

Charlotte then stopped when she reached the end of the hall, and spoke before turning the corner and disappearing from his sight.

"Or you are going to fall from the sky before you find the freedom you're desperate for."


	2. Chapter 2: Dark Blue

Chapter Two: Dark Blue

"I had all the characteristics of a human being—flesh, blood, skin, hair—but my depersonalization was so intense, had gone so deep, that my normal ability to feel compassion had been eradicated, the victim of a slow, purposeful erasure. I was simply imitating reality, a rough resemblance of a human being, with only a dim corner of my mind functioning."

-**Bret Easton Ellis, **_**American Psycho**_

**Jay Guthrie, September 1: Saturday Afternoon, The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning**

"Are you sure about the codename Icarus? Just hearing it bums be out, man." The Hellions were taking advantage of their weekend by relaxing underneath a grove of trees located away from the direct sunlight that currently lit up the campus grounds. Classes—and training—began on Monday, and while Julian was itching to get some extra training in, it was more than obvious that his team wholly disagreed with this. That being, even the **workaholic **was right there with his teammates while they watched their newest comrade strum his guitar softly.

Jay was comfortable in performing in front of dozens upon dozens of people; that didn't bother him at all. Neither did strumming random notes and chords in front of his **squad mates** while none of them probably cared. It didn't really matter. The feeling of his calloused fingers brushing against those familiar strings was something of a comfort for the Southern boy. He was even playing the instrument outdoors, which made it all too reminiscent. With the smallest of cooling breezes hitting his skin, he was beyond content, and he was calm.

Tanned shoulders tensed a bit until they shifted slightly in a sort of uncaring shrug. "Ah think it suits me jus' fine, Julian."

"I'm just saying, dude. You could have a way cooler name than **Icarus**."

From his peripheral vision, Jay could see Cessily's shoulders sag by just the smallest degree. Some of the things Julian said did seem to bother her, then. She just never voiced on it. Sooraya looked a little more bothered, eyes averted and posture shifting to one of trying to blend. Charlotte was the only one who openly thought to oppose by rolling her eyes and actually voicing her opinion by stating that it had been she who thought of the name.

The somber Southerner actually had to hold back a chuckle at the look on their squad leader's face. It was priceless, made even more so by the fact that Cheshire had no qualms about laughing at it. She didn't seem the bullying type; more like the kind of person who knew when to knock the king off of his high horse. It was something she did well, Jay mused with a smile hidden behind his hand.

She also didn't seem like the laughing type. It wasn't even a laugh that he heard from her, really, but a breathy hum that **might **have been a collection of amused giggles.

"Julian! I'm challenging you to a basketball match!"

That was a voice the Kentuckian was not familiar with. His expression sobered as his eyes darted to the loud disturbance which came in the form of a golden-skinned boy close to his age with blonde hair. He looked flustered and more than a little miffed (and he was quite concentrated on Julian). A part of the Guthrie's brain was telling him to get up and walk away before he was clustered with the rest of his team and dragged into a game of basketball. He didn't even really like sports. He liked them even less when it was because his **leader **pissed someone off, which led to said angry person to challenge named leader to a less than friendly game.

The leader of the Hellions cursed under his breath as he stood up to face down the golden boy. "Do you **really **think you can beat me, Foley? I don't want to have to embarrass you in front of your little friends to prove a point. Think about what you're doing… if you have to force your brain to think at all. I know how hard that is for you." As always, Julian was wearing his trademark smirk that should be copyrighted by now. It wasn't often that Jay felt so negatively about someone he had only met a day ago, but Julian automatically just… hit a nerve inside of him that set is feathers to start ruffling. He would stay quiet because Hellion was his squad leader—but as a friend? That was never going to happen.

He could see how Julian tried to get on his good side. For whatever reason that could be, it left the boy confused. The only reason he could come up with was for camaraderie on and off the public showcases of their work. A fake friendship for publicity; to show that the entire team was made of good friends and chums who stuck together like glue and could make it through anything you threw at them because they were a **wall of stone**.

"A-actually, Josh… I'm not very good at sports. Can I sit this one out?" A girl Jay didn't recognize who had said that, her voice a meek whisper when compared to the raised voices of Julian and Josh. Sooraya voiced her discomfort at the aspect of being in close proximity of so many males, and Julian seemed to understand her need.

"How about four-on-four, then?" asked the one called Josh. Julian agreed, of course, until Charlotte spoke up.

"I'd rather not be included in this **Battle of the Wits**, as it may, so I'll just sit this one out with Laurie and Sooraya. Noriko's at work right now, so this looks like a three-on-three."

"Yeah," Jay's voice finally found its way out in the open, "an' Ah don't like basketball. Besides, ya didn' even **ask **us if we'd play. You jus'… agreed. Ah don' have a problem with these guys anyway, Julian, so Ah won' be included."

"You're on my team, Jay! You **are **supposed to have my back!"

It came as a huge surprise when Charlotte was the one to stand up from her sitting position adjacent to Jay just so she could confront Julian. The red head also saw that Julian was as surprised by the action as he was. The brunette was wide eyed as the cherry blonde prodded his chest with a couple of those frail-looking fingers.

"You know what we talked about, Julian. Is it really wise; what you're doing right now? Think about it for just a second and you'll realize that this **isn't **the way to go about your brilliant scheme." Her voice was hushed, but could still be generally heard by the people around them. What she was talking about, Jay wondered as he looked at the back of her head. There was something in the way she was standing, body tense and fists clenched, that made him think that her words weren't what she really wanted to say to the leader of the Hellions. She was holding it back. Did she ever speak what she was thinking, or did she just speak what she could sense? More importantly… what was Julian's scheme?

"**Brilliant scheme**, Cheshire, really? What do you think I am?"

A wave of chuckles moved through each of them as the girl offered nothing but an exaggerated shrug of her shoulders, light freckles along her collarbone and upper arms standing out just a bit as the sun hit them. "Okay; maybe not a **scheme**, but still, this is no way to go about things. Just go play your game and let us chat amongst ourselves. Make sure to bring us a victory, oh esteemed leader."

If that last sentence held anymore sarcasm, she would be named the queen. Julian just scoffed and walked away with Santo and Cessily after that, leaving Brian behind with them. Laurie was sitting next to him before he really had time to look away from his odd teammate. Sooraya and Brian hadn't actually moved from their positions. Then, it was only Charlotte who remained standing, still staring down the space Julian had been at a moment before.

_Ah should say somethin' at least_, hummed Jay mentally as he continued to look at her. The girl had defended him (in her own odd way). At least, he thought she did. The green-eyed teenager had no idea what those words signified. She did, however, treat him with respect and gave him all the space he required so far. He wouldn't say he **liked **her, but he didn't **mind **her.

"You can sit with me, Charlotte. Ah don' mind." He patted the earth next to him for emphasis as she turned around to face him. A look passed over her face, an expression he could not name, before she nodded in silent agreement and made her way over. She really was a mystery, this girl.

Patting down her denim shorts decorated with multi-colored pain splatters before she slumped down next to the Southerner; her expression was pretty much unreadable. Had the small argument bothered her more than she let on or was she thinking about something else entirely already? Jay let out a sigh as he shifted his position to turn toward her slightly. He pointed to her faded shorts. "Did those come that way?"

Now, Jay Guthrie wasn't usually the kind of good ol' boy to judge, but he knew some people bought pants that were already messed up and paid more for that—he just wondered if she did too. A smile was on her face, but then it seemed to slacken… but it didn't **fade**. The smile may have become a hair's width smaller, but it became warmer. Her fingers traced the threading along a torn bit of outer fabric, her shoulders giving a shake or two as she laughed under her breath.

"No—I did this myself, sort of. I used to wear these shorts whenever I painted in my studio back home and they got dirty and tussled up after a bunch of washes and crazy adventures. They **used **to be in much better shape. But they've earned the esteemed role as that article of clothing you can never let go because they're so comfortable and it feels **right** wearing them." _She says all of this, but none of it reveals __**how **__she feels about it_, he sighs inside his mind before he slowly nods his head in agreement. It was like his favorite pair of jeans. They were definitely worse for wear; littered with holes and faded as all hell, but no other pair felt like they did when he just slipped them on.

"Ah get that. It makes ya think o' home," he began, convincing himself to take a shot at seeing the girl beneath the mystery. "Where are you from, Charlotte?"

Jay expected her to snap at him or to tell him to mind his own business—anything negative that would push his curiosity away, but instead, he got Charlotte Price and more of her oddities. She told him that she was from New York without even a hint of hesitation. However, that was all that she said. No details whatsoever. That **was **all he asked of her and she delivered.

His teammate ran her hand through those golden locks, the neon pink paint on her nails flickering in and out of view through the strands. "Julian wants to get on your good side so he can earn your trust and respect in some extravagant ploy so that you'll end up siding with him instead of probably costing his name being engraved on a golden plaque somewhere. It has to do with you, so I decided you should be aware."

He stared at her in shock. She had same that in the same tone as someone would say "I went to the market today" or "you've got something on your face". "W-why would he…?"

"This squad procedure is doing it to him. Before this whole charade, he was just a guy with an inflated ego. Now he's a team leader with a squad of people who will listen to his orders **mostly **without question. Absolute power corrupts absolutely." Another shrug of her shoulders followed that statement.

"Is tha' how ya feel about it?"

"I'm an empath, you know. The sheer feeling of your curiosity almost makes me want to answer. But I won't. I never do."

_Damn_, he cussed, biting the inside of his cheek. Of **course **she was empathic. She had told him this before. His fingers randomly plucked a couple of strings, the chords of music mixing in with nature's sounds and the distant basketball game noise. It wouldn't hurt to keep asking questions. She didn't seem aversive, just blunt and more than a little bit introverted when it came to talking about herself. That was definitely understandable—if she didn't seem so damned interesting to Jay.

He cleared his throat. "So you paint?"

"I used to."

"You stopped when ya came to the school?"

"I didn't bring my studio with me, you see." That answer had a lilt of sarcasm. The boy found himself smiling despite his usual dislike toward the social mechanism.

Silence passed among them for a long moment, carrying a feeling of unasked questions that lingered in his mind. He didn't want to pry—the girl was still very much a stranger to him and he didn't want to push into her personal space.

Another strum along his guitar strings. "Do ya miss paintin'?"

The girl looked off into the distance for a long moment, and Jay had begun to think that she hadn't heard him or she was purposely not answering his question. She seemed so intent on looking at nothing, it seemed, that he didn't want to look away. He wished to be empathic just then; to just **feel **a hint of what was going on in that head of hers.

Then… she began to giggle again—that odd laugh that Jay now felt was appropriate for the equally as odd girl.

"Sometimes I do."

That was when they turned to face each other at the same time. And despite that ache still being in his heart and still very much **there**, Jay found himself returning the warm smile that was offered to him from his squad mate—no, his… acquaintance? He wasn't sure what to dignify her as. So he settled on Charlotte. She was Charlotte Price.

Jay then realized that he **did** like her, oddities and all.

**Cessily Kincaid, September 1: Saturday Afternoon, The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning**

Her—no, Julian's team had won the basketball match against Josh and his friends. But then why had Julian refused to give her back her clothes when she had morphed? It was to help him win the match, after all! Had he just done it to tease her? It was a cruel prank to use on a friend; it embarrassed her in front of the New Mutants.

Luckily, Mister Drake was around to order Julian around as a higher authority. So now she was quickly putting her clothes back on where no one could see her. It was at such times that Cessily wished the promised uniforms were done already. However, they had yet to see the color templates, so that time might be long in coming… She found herself thinking of all the color possibilities that might be able to express their attitude and be enough to assuage Julian's ego. Cess paused at that last mention. It wasn't right to think badly of her squad leader. He knew what he was doing.

The metallic-skinned girl finished tying her shoes before jogging her way bag to wherever her teammates ended up. They had all gathered under the tree that they were resting under before Josh and his **loser **squad interrupted their time together. Hellion and the Hellions is who they were. It was annoying how repeatedly Elixir challenged Julian to dumb games as if he believed he could win! If any squad was going to be remembered, it was going to be them.

…Wasn't that right?

"You sure whooped Foley's butt, boss. We're shoe-ins for being the best around here. There's no doubt, man!" She could hear Brian's cheering from a ways off as she walked closer to her team. Would they notice if she walked off into the school right then? She was across the basketball court and none of them were looking her way—except Charlotte. It **looked **like she was chatting away with their newest member, Jay, but he was playing his guitar while he spoke. The freckled girl was looking at her. So she motioned to the glass door into the mansion and received just a nod of understanding from her friend in return. Cheshire knew when to mind her own business. She was just an understanding sort of person in that way.

So it was not long after that Cessily found herself wandering the main halls of the school, just meandering about without an exact goal in mind as a destination. She wasn't sure why she wanted to not spend time with her squad mates; just that she needed some alone time to her own thoughts and the silence. Her shoulders felt tense.

There was no other peer she respected more than Julian. He was their team leader and he was responsible for them. The brunette stressed himself out making sure that they would be known and infamous as an entire functioning group. Could anyone else say the same for their own squad? No, they could not. The Hellions were destined for victory so long as Hellion was at the wheel. So then why was there a strange sense of discouragement in her mind? Did she actually doubt what Julian was planning and how he was going about things? She couldn't believe that sort of thing! The girl rubbed her arms self-consciously for a moment—until her attention was grabbed by a glow coming from the doorway leading to the basement. Who would be locked up in there during the middle of a weekend day?

Walking into the doorway, she heard a loud clanking sound and saw what seemed like a burst of light. It wasn't a familiar sound at all. It ended up being Kevin Ford who was the source of the strange noises. He was using a blowtorch to heat up metal; then he would hammer them down to bend and shape them to use for something… most probably the strange statue in the center of the room, most likely. It was oddly pleasing to look at. She found herself staring until the clatter of metal made her jump back.

"What are **you **doing here?"

"You know, just because we're on different squads, doesn't mean we have to dislike each other…" If that was Kevin's deal, then…

"I know. Sorry about that. I'm just having a **really **bad day. I don't really mean to take it out on you," he muttered as he leaned over a heated piece of steel. He lifted the protective goggles he wore afterward, looking at her with a mix of curiosity and something that might have been annoyance. "So why are you here, Cessily?"

"I think I should be asking the same thing! You weren't out there with the rest of your squad. Noriko has a job, so I get **that**. But I don't get why you weren't there."

Kevin's posture slouched a bit more, expression becoming just a little bit more downcast. Had her words been too harsh? She hadn't really said anything insulting at all. After all, Kevin was **alright **for being a New Mutant, and Cessily didn't mind speaking to him. He was **different **from the others.

But maybe that was the problem.

"I don't really **fit in **with my squad mates. I mean, Sofia is actually pretty **cool**. So is David. I mostly… stay away from Noriko since I don't want to get on her bad side. Laurie is… she's great. Then there's Luka—he's a cool enough guy, when you get over his **attitude**. And then there's Josh Foley. He's just a huge jerk. What does Laurie see in a guy like that?"

A giggle escapes her, despite the seriousness of his tone. "You sound jealous."

He shrugs, not giving her a vocal reply but still pretty much answering the accusation. It crossed the mercury-skinned girl's mind just then that she had not been thinking about Julian or her squad since she ran into Kevin. That was usually all she thought about or spoke of. Why was that?

It was then she noticed that Kevin had stopped paying attention to the conversation altogether and was scowling at something outside. Laurie and Josh were sitting on a bench along with David while Sofia chatted with them about something. She wondered where Luka even **was**.

"About Luka… Does he hang out with you guys a lot?"

"Sometimes, he does. He's probably off somewhere reading his _manga_ books."

Luka Steinheil was another student at the school who was placed on the New Mutants squad with Kevin and the others. No one really understood his powers (most played it off as a strange form of telekinesis, but if they were wrong, he never corrected them). Cessily usually saw him when he would spend time with his squad mates, but the American-born Russian boy was oddly easy to miss for someone who did tend to be social.

She rubbed her arms again, eyes darting to the side to look at Kevin from her peripheral vision. He really did look upset. It must be a terrible burden, having powers like he did. How would she feel if she could no longer touch people in absolute fear of killing them? His decaying powers were so hard to live with, she imagined.

But from what she remembered, Kevin's powers only worked on organic stuff. Her skin was made from mercury! And it wasn't toxic, either… so it was worth a shot!

The red-haired girl reached her hand out and touched the brunette's cheek. It caused him to cry out and effectively fall ungracefully onto the floor below right on his rump.

"See? You can't hurt me, Kevin."

With nothing less than the look of pure shock on his face, Kevin shakily picked himself up from the ground and continued to eye Cessily with discomfort. A part of her could tell he felt uncomfortable because he didn't know what to say in that kind of situation. Who really would? Charlotte, probably, but she always had something to say that made sense…

No, this was about her and Kevin, not them.

"I'm… sorry. I didn't think it would bother you so much if I showed you that you didn't have to be so careful around **everyone**."

"No, I… Thank you, really. I just need some time to myself. Do you mind?"

Her eyes dropped to her sneakers in shame. "O-of course. I'll see you some other time, Kevin."

The girl could not remember ever having walked out of a room so quickly in her life before then. It was just an awful feeling that was blooming inside of her chest; just a mix of embarrassment, frustration, and self-deprecation. It all seemed so uncharacteristic for the usually poised Cessily Kincaid. But how confident could she be when she was made of metal? She **knew **she looked like a freak to even her own so-called friends!

How could anyone ever find the time to see her as anything else but a girl who looked like a glorified tin can?

As she wasn't looking where in the hell she was going right at that moment, Mercury crashed into someone's chest at full force. They caught her before she stumbled back.

"Hey, Cess, are you okay?"

It was Julian. Of all the people to run into in the middle of the halls… it had to be her squad leader when she was ready to burst into angry tears. This could **not **end well.

"You ran off before so I came looking for you. What happened…?" The concern in his voice was both surprising and a bit calming for her; which was more than surprising. His hands were firm on her shoulders as his blue eyes looked into her metallic ones. The strangest thing was—he didn't even seem to change his expression or even **blink** at the sheer difference between them. "If this is about the clothes thing before—Cess, I was just teasing you. As a friend, you know?"

Cessily felt a smile splitting her face as she finally let herself giggle a bit. Was **Julian Keller **actually attempting to apologize to someone? He stepped away then, guiding her to walk with him by her shoulder as his arm was around her. There wasn't anyone else from the squad with him, however, and that confused her greatly. As their leader, Julian barely spent time with just **one **team member unless it was Santo during an intense round of video games. "Where is everyone else?"

"Who knows? Brain and Santo are probably doing whatever it is they do when they have free time; Charlotte and the bird were still outside talking about who knows what it is they would actually talk about… So here I am looking for you. And I know something's bothering you. The sooner you tell me what it is, the faster we can go our separate ways."

She bit her lip, looking away. "Am I pretty?"

It sounded so petty when she said it, like a girl asking her father if she looked good in a dress her mother had bought for her. Cessily just felt **stupid **as she said it, and almost told Julian to forget it, but he spoke up before the thought finished crossing her mind.

"Of course you are! Cess—you're definitely pretty. Why would you ask me something like that?"

The sincerity of his voice was what actually got her to continue speaking about her concerns. It was rare to see the esteemed leader of the Hellions sounding so honest and impassioned… when it didn't have to do with his reputation being on the line that is.

"I just don't think anyone will ever see past **this**," she motioned to her body made of mercury, "which means that no one will find me pretty. I'm just a freak among freaks here. It gets to me, even when no one says anything. I know they must think it."

Julian clicked his tongue and pulled her closer to his side. "We're not freaks. And even if we are—who cares? You're **beautiful**, Cess, so don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

With that, Julian let her go before walking off down the nearest hall, giving her a nonchalant wave without even looking back. Now that was the Hellion she was more familiar with. She found herself smiling softly even after he turned the corner and went off to wherever it was he was headed.

The smile was still on her face as she began making her way back to her room, a light bounce in her step.

**Jay Guthrie, September 1: Saturday Afternoon-Evening, The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning**

"…an' before Ah knew it, Sam and Paige were both off ta this school. Ah was left in charge o' the little ones back home," explained Jay while he played soft melodies on his guitar, "Ah took it upon myself ta take care o' them. Ah became the man o' the house." He leaned his head back against the trunk of the tree, looking up at the leaves overhead. A deep breath moved through him while he allowed his shoulders to relax. To speak about family matters with someone like Charlotte—he could never have foreseen it. Then again, he hadn't expected anything like the past couple of days to ever happen.

The cherry blonde next to him released a breath of her own, a small and knobby knee knocking into his own as she had been relaxing just like him. "It was really difficult. Your father worked in the mines, correct? Sam told us he used to work with him before he died. Is that what you did?"

"Ah did, yeah. Ah **hated **workin' at the mines." It was the damned truth. Working there was a dead end, no matter how hard or how well you did your job. There was no way out except for death or such a grave injury that it left you without any choice. In order to quit working at the mines, you had to leave your family to deal with the repercussions; something which Jay could have never done. A small scowl appeared on his face at the memories of working there.

Talking to Cheshire was a lot like talking to you in your own bathroom mirror. All you would get was what you saw; yourself. It was nothing like holding a conversation with a regular person. But as Jay realized the longer he continued to hold said conversation with his teammate, he didn't want to **speak **with another person. He wanted to think things over. Honestly, he wanted to brood about, but it seemed that Charlotte wasn't going to let him. The Kentuckian could even imagine her saying something along the lines of "what you want may not be what you need". It brought a rueful smile to his face as he realized she would be very right.

So instead of looming over what she **could **say, he allowed his mind to wander.

Many things then passed through his mind in small bits. Like how her shoulders and arms were a different texture and shade next to his against the tree. Or how her oceanic eyes weren't really watching anything in particular; just looking about when something caught her eye.

"What else do ya like besides paintin'?"

"I'm actually really into literature." That was all she would say on the matter, Jay mused with a tiny scoff under his breath. She caught him off guard just after that because she asked him to tell her more about himself.

He blinked his green eyes and just looked at her for a long moment. She returned his gaze and shrugged those little shoulders of hers as if she had asked him what he liked to eat. The corner of his mouth lifted up in an amused smirk before he set down his guitar gently onto the grass.

"What do ya want ta know, Char?" A look was directed to him, a mere arch of her fine brow. "… lotte. Charlotte."

"I like Char."

"Ah… Ah do too." His cheeks felt warm from the embarrassment he felt for being put on the spot of sorts for giving her an unintentional nickname. But hey, if she liked it, what was the harm?

"I know it's only your second day here… but do you still think of this place as a zoo?"

The question was asked so calmly that Jay didn't register it at first. When he did, he bit his lip and averted his gaze from those blue-greens. "Y-you heard tha'?"

"It was soft, but yes, I heard you."

"Ah'm so sorry," he whispered, honestly feeling ashamed. All he got was a shrug in return from her, so he guessed he was forgiven; or at least let off for now.

"What would make you so upset that you would rather die than come to this school to perhaps feel better and live your life?"

Jay's entire body went stiff and cold. Cheshire couldn't have known about her… not about Julia or anything of his life before the school. She was just curious about him and what he was all about—same way he was about her… right? He swallowed hard and tried to relax his muscles to no avail. Those memories were much too fresh to just set aside. How could she just ask something like that? Easy; she had no idea of what the words meant to him. The girl was oblivious.

"You lost someone you loved."

Or maybe she wasn't as oblivious as he thought. "How'd you…?"

"I merely guessed with how you reacted when I first saw you and sensed your emotions. It was horrifying. You were the most distraught person I had ever seen. Immediately, I wanted to help you in any way I could. It wasn't because you were going to be placed on the Hellions squad or because you were a sad mutant… I felt that you needed someone to talk to. But then Julian had made that stupid plan to befriend you and get on your good side. I disagreed with it, but I decided to give the whole thing a shot anyway. So here I am, talking to you, answering your questions because of some hidden agenda that our team leader came up with."

The Southern boy was… speechless. His shocked expression didn't seem to faze his teammate's attitude, however.

"Certainly, me sitting here and talking with you is nothing more than me acting upon Julian's orders and nothing else. Why in the world would I wish to reach out to someone who needed a person to speak to because he seemed so **lost **and **angry**? I **must **be acting upon someone else's decisions!"

"You're… being sarcastic?"

She laughed, nodding her head slowly. "I am, actually."

It was silent among them for a long moment. He could see how uncomfortable it had made her to be so open for just a second. She was not used to that sort of openness to someone she had met not even twenty-four hours ago. Somehow, he quipped, it wouldn't be completely farfetched to think she didn't feel right opening herself to **anyone**.

Maybe he owed her just a bit in return.

"Ah lost my first love, Julia Cabot. She died. Ah wanted ta die with her, but my powers… they didn' **let** me. Ah was jus' so angry an' down. Even now, Ah just feel like Ah have no way out. But then here you are, talkin' ta me, an' Ah feel a li'l better…"

"They **do **say talking about it makes it hurt less."

He let out a small chuckle then. "Ah guess yer righ'."

His companion licked her pink lips to remoisten them, hands rubbing along her thighs as if they were chilled by the summer wind.

"You're very strong, you know. You'd given up before when she died. Now that you're here, though, I think you've seen that there is more to life. What you do with the knowledge is up to you, Jay. I'm just here to be someone to talk to."

"An' what 'bout Julian, Char?"

The smile on her face grew just a little more. "I'm doing what he asked; I'm just not doing it **because **he asked. If becoming your friend means he gets knocked down a peg by realizing that not everyone bows to Julian Keller, that's fine with me. You needed someone more than he will ever **need** to win some imaginary competition."

_She didn' say "sorry for your loss" or "it must have been horrible". No, she was honest as Ah expected from her. But somehow, in some way, she surprised me by expressing herself for the first time. _Jay watched as Charlotte stood up from where she was seated next to him, patting down the back of her legs for any grass or dirt. A smile was on his face.

After she had turned around in place for the second or third time, Jay laughed and told her she was more than clear and that she didn't have to check anymore. She replied with a shrug of her shoulders; but he could have sworn that her cheeks turned a bit pink.

She offered him her hand to help him stand up. Jay reached up, his calloused hand grabbing onto her slim wrist carefully.

"Thank ya kindly, Char."

**Kevin Ford, September 1: Saturday Evening, The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning**

The metal sheets he used for sculpting made loud sounds that would reverberate through the basement space as he put his art supplies away for the next time he had a chance to work on them. It was no surprise that Kevin Ford enjoyed being alone, away from his fellow peers, and able to do whatever he felt like. They were always judging him outside of that door. He was the freak with the **death touch**; one accidental brush would kill you. Even amongst the people who were supposed to accept him and keep him safe, he was a monster. It wasn't that hard to take notice of the fearful expressions people had when he got too close or the tensed recoils when he reached for something.

His own teammates didn't even make him feel welcome among them. Laurie was different; of course, she was always nice to him. Sofia tried to include him… but he felt that she only did it as a charitable action for poor, lonely Kevin. David didn't struggle to include him, but he was **okay**. Noriko honestly scared Kevin a little. The blue-haired girl was headstrong, and she made sure to defend her own opinion however she had to. Bluntly, he knew not to mess with her, so he stayed away. Luka was like the kind of guy who would help you out, but Kevin didn't need **help**. Josh Foley was the one that really made Kevin feel like he was not welcome in the New Mutants. Laurie seemed to have this huge crush on the former goon of Donald Pierce. It was different before Foley came along. There had been a chance for Kevin then, an actual hope that Laurie liked him. Now it all disappeared because of him.

With a loud snap, the lid to the crate holding his art supplies shut closed.

Pretty soon, the halls would be filled with students rushing into the dining hall for dinner. They would be accompanied by friends and their teammates. Kevin would most likely travel there alone, arrive alone, and then sit with his squad mates merely out of habit.

That was when he recalled Cessily and the conversation they had earlier in the day.

She didn't seem to care about the proverbial lines that separated all of the student squads so long as they got along. Befriending him didn't bother her because she just wanted to hang out with him; that was it. But she openly didn't like Laurie or Josh or any of the others from his team. Why was that, though? Every time he actually saw Cessily, she was around Julian. Could it be that he was the reason she was so biased against the New Mutants? Maybe talking to him was one of her choices. The thought made him curious.

It was more than just a little awkward to speak with her as if she were a friend of his; because she honestly wasn't. He didn't dislike her, but he also didn't know her that well. She was nice from what he had encountered—because she was otherwise sneering at Laurie's general direction—so Kevin was willing to at least get to know her. After all, he already was on good enough terms with another of the Hellions. What was one more?** Especially** if she was the one who came to talk to him.

He exited the basement, familiar décor greeting his vision. Some students were already shuffling about through the halls toward the designated eating area in small groups and even in couples. Josh and Laurie were one of these couples.

A jab of anger coursed through his brain and then his gut as soon as he saw them. She was so distracted by the golden boy that she hadn't even noticed him standing right there! His fists clenched up tight, the faux-fabric of his gloves making a tight sound as it rubbed against his skin. What could he really do? It wasn't up to him who Laurie had a crush on—he just wished it wasn't Josh! That jerk didn't deserve someone as kind-hearted as her.

The brunette teen chewed on his lip for a long moment, thoughts plagued with anger, before he finally built up enough strength in his legs to begin the lonely trek to the dining room.

Passing by familiar faces now bugged more than they comforted him. Now that he knew what they thought of him—he could see it in their eyes, definitely—it was much harder to be at peace among those who feared him. Kevin pulled his long coat closer to his body as if he were hit by a chill. It was a maneuver to enclose himself away from the crowd. They avoided him more with that single gesture, something he was more than grateful for.

But what would he do once he got to the dining hall? He couldn't openly bear to sit with his squad now, not after what he just saw. There was a good chance that they would just leave him alone and he'd be able to catch a table where there were a decent number of seats open. That was a good enough plan.

It **did **seem like a good plan, at least until he actually walked into the designated room.

"Kevin! Hey, would you like to come eat with my squad?" Cessily rushed up to him with a friendly smile on her face, red hair swaying behind her while she wove through the small crowd of mutants. While Kevin might not know her very well, he was instantly humbled by her openness in which she proudly spoke to him. She didn't cower or whisper his name under fearful tones like the others. He found himself fighting an excited smile.

It was only when he saw Laurie and Josh leaving the room he'd just entered that kept the hidden smile at bay. They were probably going on a date somewhere and he was helpless to even try and talk her out of it…

"Yeah, let's try **your **table."

It was **weird **not automatically walking to sit with the other New Mutants. Weirder yet, he found that he didn't feel so bad about walking toward the Hellions. Cessily was confident and happy next to him as they got closer with each step through the room. The only moment that made him rethink this move was when he spotted Julian shooting them a critical look. He swallowed hard and stood as tall as he could right next to the only person who didn't seem to automatically think he was out for their lives.

"Hey, you guys know Kevin Ford, right? He's going to sit with us." She sounded so earnest that Kevin Ford almost found himself wide eyed in surprise. Julian's sudden movement in standing from the table made him start.

"Can I talk to you for a minute, Cess?"

She looked at him in apology, walking off to the side to have a hushed conversation with Julian. Kevin looked at the table the rest of the squad sat at just in time to see the one known as Cheshire stand as well. Was she getting up because she was scared of him too…?

Her expression didn't seem scared, though. Sea green eyes flashed to the side where her two teammates were discussing something most likely involving him. Did she know? It didn't seem like she did. That was when her eyes returned to his, ocean meeting earth.

"You can take my seat, Kevin. Jay always sits away from us and right now he looks like he could use some socialization," she mused with a shrug of her shoulders, "Feel free to sit with us from now on. You're welcome to hang out with us in my book." There was no hint of hesitation or over sweetness to her words; just opinion. He couldn't form words, so he just nodded dumbly. The smile on her face widened at that, and for a short moment, he felt his face go warm. What kind of girl was this Charlotte?

They had spoken before, back when he had first been in the school. Before **Josh **decided to ditch his old ways of helping Pierce and became Laurie's center of attention. The New Yorker always carried an air of eerie calm, like she knew something that other people usually overlooked. Despite that, she always understood, and never seemed to judge those she met. It was easy to trust someone who never really had their own opinion of you—at least not one said aloud.

Her hand fell onto his shoulder, pulling him from his thoughts as he had to remember to smile at her just for courtesy. His mind seemed to be everywhere. Kevin let her walk to the adjacent table with a word of thanks, her expression warming up just a hint as he did so. The girl proceeded to sit with the red winged Kentuckian who looked more than a little lonesome. They had yet to even speak, of course, so that was all Kevin could actually say about Jay.

"You can sit next to me, if that's okay?"

A soft smile appeared on his face as she guided him to his chair with a hand on his back. "Sounds good to me, Cessily, thanks."

So Kevin sat down with the Hellions, the squad who was supposedly the main rivals of the New Mutants in every way, filled will a sense of comfort that he had never felt before while spending time with his teammates.

**Charlotte Price and Noriko Ashida, September 2: Sunday Afternoon, The Grind Stone**

"So you're saying that Josh actually threw a fit and challenged Julian to a basketball game while I was at work? I miss all the best stuff!" Noriko leaned against the freshly cleaned, cherry wood counter she was stationed at inside the café she worked at. It was a common thing to see her at the coffee joint—not only because of work, but because it was actually a popular hangout for the students of the Xavier Institute. Her cheek rested in her hand while she openly scoffed at her fellow squad mate's familiar rash behavior toward the telekinetic. "W-where was Luka…?" she asked softly, gaze turning away from that of her friend's blue-green hue.

The dusting of pink on the Japanese girl's cheeks did not go unnoticed by the other female. Lightly glossed lips quirked upwards more than before at the small reaction, head tilting curiously. Chats with Nori usually ended up going somewhere interesting, so Charlotte made weekly trips to the café with a loyal repetition. "What about Luka? He wasn't there as far as I'm concerned. Your curiosity is certainly touching, Nori."

"Don't patronize me, Price."

With a soft laugh, the pale girl shakes her head in amusement. This sort of back and forth could go on forever between them, especially if it concerned Noriko's emotions; the sort of things she was most guarded about.

Charlotte held her palms up in surrender, breath of a laugh escaping her in a less than apologetic tone that made Noriko roll her eyes. It was all in fun, the freckled girl would assure her friend, but it didn't make the blue-haired one any less protective of her feelings. A sudden thought struck her just then, and Surge straightened up her posture in order to hold a more serious appearance.

"So school starts tomorrow, doesn't it?" It wasn't that Noriko hated school; she didn't. The fact was, she was just nervous as to how the schedule would be changed around to accommodate their new squad placements. Would each teammate **have **to have their main classes with each other, or would it be random selection like it had been before? She **liked **Laurie and Sofia, but having them for each main subject class might be a little too much for the Japan native to put up with. As for having David in one of her classes that required smarts… well, he would probably help her pass with no qualms. She didn't care if Josh was in any of her classes, but he'd probably attach himself to her if he was. Now Luka—she wouldn't mind having a few classes with him. Of course, she would never utter a word of it to Charlotte or anyone else for that matter.

The usually smiley Charlotte had a much more peaceful expression while in the Grind Stone. Her excuse was that coffee calmed her down… before it hyped her up. Julian was known to get bothered by her sheer excitement whenever she was under the influence of caffeine. It made the girl's ability act up and flares out at random times if she ever became much too emotional. Then again, people **only** saw her emotions when she was like that… so Noriko made sure to take advantage of it.

"It does, doesn't it? I think that Julian is going to stir up some trouble no matter what class he's in unless it's filled with only Hellions. He'd challenge anyone else!"

"What do you expect, Charlotte? Your leader's too arrogant."

She rolled her ocean eyes, sighing in frustration. No one knew better of Julian Keller's arrogance than Charlotte Price did; something she was not happy about. It was as if she was his little helper in all the plots he made just because he confided in her, only because she was a good listener. One of the main burdens of being empathic is that you **understand **people's emotions better than most people and that means that you cannot really despise someone for what they feel. There's always a reason behind it that supports the action. While she couldn't blame Julian, she could still disapprove; silently.

"While my leader is arrogant, yours is too emotional about everything. Don't get me wrong here, Nori, it could come in handy. However, it is also an **Achilles's heel**. She might just take things a little too personally, and it'll disrupt you. Or it could be the push your team needs. Either way, neither team is perfect. I don't think any squads are. We're just going to have to see which one pulls through to end up the most memorable… for better or worse."

Sometimes it astounded Noriko to no end how wise Charlotte sounded when she spoke of team work and other matters. It made her wonder where in the world such an odd girl picked up that sort of information. Better yet: she wondered how someone even began to understand such things to say them to others as if it were common knowledge?

If Cheshire was already giving her own opinion, though, that only meant that things could only get more interesting from here on out.

"Have you spent any time with your newest teammate, Price?"

The reaction to the simple question was worth the looks they received from the other patrons. Charlotte had shot up from her lax position of resting her back on the counter, standing rod straight and tense with her eyes wide. Now this seemed familiar.

"I'll take that as a yes?"

Normally, if embarrassed, there would be the lightest dust of pink on her cheeks. But there wasn't even a hint of it this time. "Take it as you will, Nori. He's actually a pretty okay guy. Also—he's much different from either of his siblings. Jay is a Guthrie all his own."

"I heard he plays guitar."

She smiles, giggling softly. "He plays it very well."

There was a bit of a wall again, mirror effect returning to the conversation. Noriko wanted to know what Charlotte thought, not what was already known. "Do you think he's… good looking?"

Her friend's eyes bore into her brown ones, emotion unreadable. It was hard to see if she had gone too far with the question or if she was merely curious as to why it was asked in the first place. The confusion soon dissipated when she saw Charlotte smile softly and relax again against the counter, taking the freshly poured cup of coffee in her thin fingers.

"He has lovely hands."

"… Did you just say **hands**?"

Charlotte nodded. "Yes, he has nice hands. That's all I can say to particularly **like **about him besides the common "he's a sweet guy" or "he's my friend so he's cool". I can openly say that Jay Guthrie is unlike any boy I've met before; in a good way."

The mirror seemed to fade away (in only a little) when she spoke of Jay. Friendship was hard to obtain with Charlotte for one main reason: people are selfish. They tell her their problems, faults, angers, pains, fears, but never ask for hers. Most people who know her treat her like their therapist because she has the ability to help them. A lot of them don't even think to thank her, like Julian, who abuses his closeness with her. It wasn't like Charlotte **demanded **attention or anything the like; she just appreciated considerate behavior as much as the next person to open up in return. But as she had told Noriko many times before, "My problems are made less by those who say theirs aloud."

To become Charlotte's friend, you had to learn to see the full picture. You can tell her all of your problems, but if you show genuine care about her own opinion, she will open up. That was really all you needed to do. It sounded (and was) so simple, but so few people did it. That was why only a couple of people could tell you what Charlotte liked and what she didn't.

For instance, Charlotte **hated **salty foods, but loved the bitterness of coffee and dark chocolate. She also disliked gooey textures, but preferred her meat chewy to char. The girl loved the color purple. All this was found out by asking questions—she'd never tell you herself. It wasn't because she believed people who didn't ask were unworthy, no; she just felt they'd rather not know if they never asked.

Noriko didn't understand Cheshire's mindset; she just agreed enough to follow it.

"Did they say when they'll be passing out the schedules for our classes?" Noriko had been at work since earlier in the day, perhaps she had missed one of the announcements.

"Most likely they're going to pass them out at our rooms after dinner and before we are all sent to our rooms for curfew. I'm actually really curious as to what my classes will be and who they will be with."

Nori smiled and watched as Charlotte sipped at her coffee. "You mean you hope you get a class with one of your teammates."

_And by those words, you mean Jay. You're really hung up on this, aren't you?_

"I can tell you that I hope Jay doesn't get caught in any classes with Julian. No one wants to see the new guy get bothered by the likes of our local egomaniac."

"I never said anything about Jay."

"I know that. You were thinking them, most likely. Am I right?"

The scowl on her blue-haired friend's face was all the answer Charlotte needed. She laughed softly, poorly hiding her amusement by covering her face with her hands.

**Charlotte Price September 3: Monday Morning, The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning**

It was the first day of school, and there sat Charlotte in the first class of the school year: Drama. Now acting was something she greatly enjoyed. It allowed her to take on another role besides herself and to expand herself in an artistic way. Sounded cliché? It was.

Mostly, Charlotte enjoyed acting because it was a plausible way of **lying**. It wasn't that she enjoying lying or anything, but she did enjoy that she seemed to have a talent for it.

Only one person had actually arrived to the class before her: David Alleyne. It was a pleasant surprise to see the local genius in such a lax classroom. More than likely, someone recommended he get a class didn't require to absorb knowledge since for him it was twice as much work. His powers gave him the ability to suck up the knowledge of those around him. However, as soon as they were out of his proximity, all the knowledge was gone. He couldn't retain it all. So he needed to put extra time into his studies just to keep up with the kids who moved forward while he was trapped with speeding forward and stalling. But David was a kind person, if a bit anti-social.

So there she was, sitting at a desk diagonally downward from where David was. It wasn't too long until more students began to show up also. Victor Borkowski was there as well, green and scaly and just one of the most good-hearted kids Charlotte had ever met. He actually chose to sit next to her, a smile of greeting being sent her way. Of course, she returned it, even adding a friendly little wave for extra measure.

It was then that she noticed their teacher was still not in class. She wondered if he would pull the same stunt he tended to do in order to startle the newer students who braved the class itself. But hey—it tended to make a **great **calling point for whenever they were planning on doing a horror skit. She really wanted to know what he was up to, not being in class already…

There were only two minutes until class began, after all.

The students had tiredly shuffled in like a horde of zombies and plopped into their seats by now. It looked like the morgue was having a sitting party, by the looks of it. Charlotte wiped the morbid image from her mind and blinked to herself in confusion. It wasn't like her to think such a thought like that, but it seemed someone outside was catching her empathic attention. The person wasn't thinking of corpses or zombies either, but the darkness in his mind was certainly sending out that vibe like the aroma of flowers for bees… or butterflies.

_That's a better image, at least._

Those feelings drifted away as the mysterious person walked away to presumably their own class for the morning. She could practically feel her shoulders slouch a bit from their tensed position when the emotions finally dispersed. Now that was just a **strange **feeling, not one she would ever like to visit again. Although, if there was someone in the school feeling that way, she would most likely have to do something about not only to make sure they were happier… but for her own sake before she began getting absorbed by the wash of darkness.

It wasn't hard for an untrained empath to become consumed by the emotions they were reading. In fact, she had been told on more than one occasion that her attitude shifted by just a small bit if she was concentrating on more than one emotion. The main one would overload her senses and blossom inside of her, even if she was feeling the opposite just previously. To be empathic was to prepare yourself for emotional roller coasters every day of your life, and if you could not handle that, you would surely go mad.

Charlotte was unsure if she was still fully **sane **or not.

Others said she was perfectly sane, despite her quirks. So she smiled a lot, no big deal. What if she seems to shut down sometimes because the world seems so bad and broken? Everyone seems to lose hope once in a while, but then it's all okay.

It didn't matter if Charlotte was silently feeling that she was in fact, crazy. After all, she was the one they went to for their problems.

You cannot have a shrink for the shrink, as they say. No one could honestly help her unless she asked for help, which is something Cheshire never did.

Kurt Wagner teleported into the class just as the bell rang, a small wave of gasps coming from the student body. Most of them now bore wide eyes and gaping mouths. It wasn't every day that Nightcrawler from the X-Men (the blue devil himself) was your excitable drama teacher who had this **flourish **that made you want to get up and act the hell out of every role you were given.

She remained silent as the introductions began, eyes focusing but not really seeing. Her ears were listening while her mind was still shouting at her to talk to someone.

_I'm fine. I don't need help for powers given to me._

At least, that was what she continued to tell herself.


	3. Chapter 3: Where We Started

Chapter Three: Where We Started

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only."

-**Charles Dickens, **_**A Tale of Two Cities**_

**September 16, The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning Campus Grounds**

"Welcome to Field Day, students," spoke headmistress Emma Frost from her standing point in the center of the sprawling greenery that covered the entirety of the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning. Scott then took over to explain exactly what Field Day **was**, thankfully. Many of the collected students from both the New Mutants and the Hellions had confused looks on their faces. It was the afternoon, on a Sunday, and they would have liked to **not **spend their weekend outside in the hot sun.

Julian, however, looked interested in the aspect of a situation where both teams were involved. He pulled his purple jacket closer to him, adjusting it, before tilting his head curiously.

All of the separate squads had received their finished uniforms last week. They were given templates and granted permission to decide on the finished product for themselves, so each member had their own special look while sharing the team colors.

For the New Mutants, it was white and gold with silver accents. The Hellions were shades of red and crimson with an offset purple color as a bold accent, much like the original Hellions group from the Massachusetts Academy.

Mr. Summers cleared his throat and took on his **speech pose** (you know, the one where he stands ramrod straight and puts his hands behind his back and puffs out his chest like a ruffled canary?). "We will be holding these exercises regularly. Each is a small-scale **mission**."

More than just a few of them shifted their feet or visibly twitched at those words. Was this actually going to be some sort of competition based of combat situations? Hellion scowled a bit in thought while the rest of his team looked among themselves, albeit Charlotte carried an expression bordering anxiety. The headmaster took notice of their bothered expressions. He continued, professional in tone.

"The squad that wins the most will be **rewarded **at the end of the semester."

That **definitely **caught Julian's attention. A reward would mean recognition; something he craved more than anything for his squad. A **reward **meant that if they won, they would receive something that would separate them from the rest of the other teams for being the best. He smirked, crossing his arms over his chest while Cyclops kept speaking.

"Today we've hidden an object around campus. This is designed to simulate a mission in which a villain, say Magneto, has left a **bomb **somewhere and you don't know **what **it looks like or **where **it is." His ruby quartz spectacled gaze moved over the clipboard in his hands for just a moment then. "There are **clues **on campus. Whichever squad finds the object and brings it to one of the three of us," he motions to Emma and Danielle Moonstar, who are standing next to him on each side, "will win."

You could feel the intensity between the two squads begin to form in the air around them. There were definite rivalries sparking up a storm, expressions and gazes shifting in the smallest degrees. Josh would clench his fists and send side glances at Julian, who would smirk and pretend not to see the intimidating gestures. Cessily's own gaze was aimed at none other than Laurie Collins. Noriko seemed to automatically shift her body closer to Luka Steinheil, the blonde boy's own expression a calm confidence while his blue eyes drifted to the Japanese girl. A small smile flashed on his face as his hand found her shoulder to offer his support without the need to even utter a word.

Charlotte tilted her head in a curious interest to the headmaster's words. They were pitting squads against each other to see who would be on top? What kind of sense was there to do so? The school's purpose was to teach them how to control their abilities in order to blend into society so that the easily frightened **homo sapiens **would not flee at the sight of them. Of course, a degree of combat training was required so they could defend themselves, but to go as far as to pit them against each other? The girl knew this could only end badly. She bit her lip softly and deterred her gaze from looking at the advisors.

"One last rule: **No **offensive use of powers on members of the opposing squad. Break this rule and your team **loses**."

_Why do I get the feeling that he was looking directly at Julian when he said those words? _Sofia sighed under her breath at the thought. This would not be an easy challenge for her team. However, she was the squad leader, and would do her very best to bring them victory.

Charlotte gave one of her little hum-laughs, familiar smile on her face. It did not reach her eyes. _So feel free to beat each other up the old fashioned way. __**That's **__the way to do this._

Julian has a certain gleam in his eye. There was no doubt in any of the minds of his teammates that he'd already formulated a plan to get that prize. If there was one thing you could grant Julian in the **good traits **department, it was that he was quite the problem solver when it came to these things. Strategy was Charlotte's game while action and planning was his.

They shared a silent nod, eyes connecting just as Scott spoke the words that many of them had undeniably been waiting to hear.

"Go to it. Have **fun**. And may the best team win."

Each of the Hellions took off as soon as he finished speaking. They wasted no time sticking around. If they were going to discuss a plan, they would not do so while in the proximity of the other team. No—they were going to regroup. Cheshire flagged down Mercury and began to whisper in hushed tones to the girl while their other squad mates ran (or flew, in Jay's case) around them.

Sofia watched them for just a moment. "Okay—we should get into action," she started, gesturing toward Surge, "Noriko, you are the **fastest**. Search the entire campus. Start with the school."

"Say what?" Noriko and Luka both said that in unison. The Russian male looked none too pleased as he moved to stand in front of the blue-haired femme as if protecting her. "I don't think that's such a good idea, Wind Dancer."

"What am I **looking **for?" Noriko was more than a little confused as to what Sofia's plan could **possibly **be, but she did not voice that part of her thoughts.

"I do not know. A bomb? A clue to what it looks like or where it is? **Anything**."

_You don't sound sure about a single word that just came out of your mouth_, sneered Impel, sky-hued eyes narrowed toward his squad leader. They needed to begin planning more than just finding the damned object; they needed to set up a parameter to defend against the Hellions before they knew where the target was located. But he could not say anything. He wasn't the **leader**. So, he kept silent.

"Um, maybe we need to narrow this search a bit before we have Nori expend her **whole **charge on a sprint through the entire building," suggested David while he approached them. His tone was definitely diplomatic, and Luka was silently thankful for it. At least another team member could be accounted to have some common sense besides him.

Sofia, however, didn't seem to enjoy being disagreed with. The Venezuelan female rounded on David, an angry expression scrunching her face. "But Julian and the Hellions have already left! We do not have **time **to argue. This is **my **squad, remember?" By then, David looked absolutely **confused**. As a matter of fact, all of the New Mutants looked a bit out of the loop. But that didn't stop Wind Dancer from continuing her apparent speech of empowerment. "You did **not **want to lead, David. **None **of you have to worry about being in **charge **of the first **losing **squad!"

_So __**that **__must be what this is about, _mused David in his mind. _She's being too emotional about this whole thing, though, and I don't understand __**why **__yet._

Laurie shifted uncomfortably in her place standing between Kevin and Josh. It wasn't fun to see Sofia so upset and angry. It bothered the blonde girl. Her eyes fell to her shoes, timid as always and too intimidated by the stake of things to even have a voice.

Sofia then took a breath to calm down. Yelling at her squad for each little idea they gave was not going to get them the prize any faster than standing there as they were. Surge ran off as ordered and began the objective Sofia assigned her. Luka's tense shoulders told the rest of the team all they needed to know about his own, quieted opinion: He did not like this in the least.

But the brunette girl didn't care. It wasn't** Impel's** job to worry about the squad's tactics or any of those sorts of things. All he had to really do was obey her and they would **win**. It was obvious that he cared for Surge, however, and that had no be an advantage for her. Noriko listened to her, so perhaps Luka would as well.

The chances were not looking good on that front. He did **not **look too happy.

Wind Dancer moistened her lips with her tongue, suddenly uncomfortable under the Russian's scrutinizing gaze, but ultimately ignoring it to keep up her mask of confidence. They **would **win. And then he would feel like a **fool **for doubting his squad leader.

She turned to her squad. "I do not know what the Hellions are up to, but clearly they have already gone into **action**."

It would truly astound her; how right she was.

.:: The Price of Loyalty ::.

"The **object **is in the **hedge maze**," announced Jay as he landed near Julian, "Mercury's been **captured**, though. Ah couldn't get her back out." His wings fluttered a bit in frustration. After all, he wasn't sure if Cessily getting captured had been a part of Julian's plan or not. Hellion just nodded, turning to Rockslide and Tag to guard the entrance to the maze in case the New Mutants found out also. Dust was standing next to Cheshire, who seemed to be grinning almost mischievously. Something told the Southern boy that she actually **liked **forming strategies. It was like a hobby to her.

When Santo and Brian took off toward the maze, Julian faced the cherry blonde. "I need you to get **into **the maze any way you can besides the entrance. We need to protect it from the **inside**, too. Icarus," he turned to the winged boy, "I leave Cheshire in your hands. Listen to what she says. You too, Dust."

Sooraya nodded easily in understanding. It was known that while she followed Julian without hesitation, she did prefer to comply with Charlotte's orders.

As soon as Julian went off to join their other teammates, Cheshire took on what could only be explained as a brand new persona. Those small shoulders became more squared out, lax posture straightening to an almost **too proper **degree. This was Charlotte in **battle mode**, as Julian referred to it as.

"Dust, do you think you could stick by until I offer you a signal to use your powers? They will definitely come in handy against the New Mutants. Icarus, if you would, I need you to fly me over the hedges onto one of the walls. I'll hope you'll be close for a call, too." She offered them a kind smile after that. Jay had to actually bite his lip to stop himself from smiling at her expression. She looked **ecstatic**! Her excitement was actually contagious; if Sooraya's suddenly intent body language was of any indication. Even the Guthrie sibling felt a bit of that excited rattle forming in his chest and fingertips to the ends of his wings. That was something Cheshire seemed to possess for them that Julian just **didn't**.

She knew how to excite a crowd just with a genuine smile, only because she made them seem so **rare**.

.:: The Price of Loyalty ::.

Noriko seemed to appear out of nowhere, breathing hard with her hands on her thighs as she leaned forward to catch her breath. Running around the entire campus looking for just **one **clue (that was surprisingly elusive) really took a lot out of the Japanese mutant. "Got it! Found it!" She had to gasp in mouthfuls of air after each sentence. It was as if her muscles were screaming for her to take a break, and her energy was almost at its limit. Surge knew she wouldn't be able to do another stunt as strenuous as that unless she got some well-deserved rest first.

Sofia ran toward her. "You found the **object**?"

"No." She shook her head, panting. "A **memo**. Left in the assembly hall. Mr. Summers… told someone… to hide… the **L.H.** in the hedge maze…"

Without even a conformation among the rest of the team, Wind Dancer took off at a run toward the designated location. "We have the information we need! We should go to the hedge maze **quickly**!" The others actually looked torn between assisting Surge and running after their rushed leader. Impel moved to assist Surge first, holding her up and nodding to the others to run after Sofia. He would be the one to take care of his teammate.

"Come on. You know I'm not leaving you behind, Nori."

Her brown eyes found his blue ones, and the sheer gratefulness he saw in them was all the assurance he needed in order to throw her arm over his shoulder to move on.

The New Mutants made their way to the maze, Sofia at the lead while the others hurried to catch up. It was a bit odd that they couldn't see any of the Hellions moving around. They were either still looking for the location, or they had already set up a parameter of their own. Luka hoped it wasn't the latter.

David was the one to speak up next. "Sofia! Noriko's **spent**. She used her whole charge." The concern in his voice was evident. For just a split second, Impel thought of how much better a leader David would make than Sofia. _Maybe he wouldn't run Noriko to the ground as soon as the competition started! What was that __**idiot**__ thinking? _

The brunette girl didn't even look back when she yelled for Luka and Nori to stick back while they continued on their own. What if his abilities were needed for some instance? He wouldn't be there because she couldn't wait one damned second for the rest of her team—especially the one teammate who was in a less than perfect state that she was the cause of! A prickling and intense feeling glazed over Luka's hand, the one that wasn't holding on to Surge's waist. His powers were itching to be used in his frustration. But he couldn't just use them on a whim, especially now.

All he could do was urge his friend onward so they wouldn't be left behind like weaklings. They **weren't **the weakest links in the team—Luka knew that much.

"We should assume it is at the—oof!"

She had turned the corner sharply onto to crash face first into Rockslide as he had set himself to block the entrance to the maze. The Hellions had already arrived. "At the center of the maze. Yeah, we **know**. Hellion and the rest of the squad are **already** there."

A mocking grin formed on that stony face, rocks shifting to form quite the unnerving grin for those who were not already used to his appearance. It was then that the New Mutants noticed that not only was he parked in front of the entrance, but his arms were blocking the sides too. They were trapped outside… unless…

Sofia looked up over Santo's head. An idea formed.

"Looks like you guys **lose**."

That was when the wind began to rush along the atmosphere, picking up Sofia Mantega and allowing her to ride the invisible currents at her whim. Her dancer's body seemed to flow with the wind itself, always a sight to look at in slight awe.

She grinned; sure she had found the loophole in Julian's plan. "Your rock projectiles are hardly stopping me Santo—I can ride the **wind **over you!" With a small whisk of her wrist, the wind changed its course to propel her forward to the center of the maze.

"Unf!" She had crashed into something else. This time, however, it was hard to discern **what**.

"Unless you hit one of my **telekinetic walls**, Sofia…" Julian's voice rang out in the space ahead of her, slightly distorted by the wall that indeed separated her from continuing forward to the goal. Wind Dancer reached out a hand and touched the invisible force.

Her eyes widened. He'd used his powers against her!

"You **lose**, Julian. The rules state that you are not to use your **powers **on us!" If she could get this to one of the teachers quickly, her team would win on default. His next words, however, made her stay where she floated in the breeze.

"**No**. The rules say I can't use them **offensively**. I simply put up a wall and you flew into it. What's so offensive about **that**?" "Well, the fact that the wall came from **you **makes it offensive."

Hellion cocked his brow and scoffed a bit before crossing his arms over his chest, that overconfident smirk (probably his own trademark by now) on his lips. "You wound me, Sofia. I've **got **to be getting under your skin if I can get you this **riled up**!"

She willed the wind forward, gliding closer to the wall to prod it gently with a finger.

"If you want to get anywhere **near **my skin, Julian, you'll have to bring down the wall."

.:: The Price of Loyalty ::.

"Sofia! What do we **do**?" called out Wallflower to their… distracted leader who was currently holding a nice conversation with the rival squad's captain. The expressions they bore varied among confusion, frustration, and disbelief. They were wasting precious time instead of having a plan to get past Santos and the telekinetic wall to reach the **object **at the center of the maze.

Josh clicked his tongue and crossed his arms with an angry huff. He was getting impatient, fast, and the team could easily sense it.

Once again, David took the reins. "Sofia, stop wasting time with **Hellion**! We need another way into the maze!" That was when a shadow was cast over them, the sound of flapping wings alerting them before a somewhat powerful gust alerted their attention. Icarus was up in the air, heading in the direction they **needed **to be going. "They've got **Icarus **flying over! There's not much **time**!"

"Let me handle the **bird**, Prodigy," hissed Impel while he moved his hand away from Surge's waist when she settled her balance well enough. His hand shot out, aimed toward Jay, face concentrated. A burst of windswept energy seemed to just **shoot **out of the blonde male and toward the red winged mutant. Before anything could make a collision, however, their view of the strike was blocked by a powerful sandstorm—formed by Dust, no doubt. Luka cursed under his breath.

David put his hand on Impel's shoulder, nodding solemnly. He used his powers to slow down the opponent, something he would have thought up. It was a good idea and it may have bought them a precious few seconds. But what if the attack was meant to be offensive…? That would have made them lose the competition, regardless. But that wasn't what mattered now. They had to find a way into the maze.

"Julian's good, I'll give him that. He's got **Dust **blocking our view so we can't even see **where **Icarus is going," he said honestly, if with a bit of reluctance.

"**If **Icarus is going anywhere…"

Prodigly looked at Luka, scrunching his face in thought. "We're at a complete disadvantage. We've got no **strategy**."

"We got strategy, David. We got **you**. Give us a plan!" Elixir seemed to finally have had enough with being in the background, not saying an utterance of his opinion. The whole situation was **nuts**. His entire body language was tense and pretty much annoyed at how **badly **they were losing to the Hellions. He'd lost to Julian enough times as it was, and he wasn't going to lose again!

David rubbed the back of his neck as a nervous tick. "I don't know, Josh… Sofia's our leader and I don't want to **undercut **her." He **really** didn't want to do that. What kind of example would that show to the team if he so freely undermined the orders or opinions of his leader?

"David, if you've got a plan, **now **would be the time." Now even Noriko was asking him to make a plan underneath Sofia's nose?

He looked up at Wind Dancer. She was **still **talking to Julian, with no indication of stopping anytime soon, either. Something had to be done, and soon, if they were even going to have a chance at victory. The chance was slim as it was. The New Mutants were looking at him for a plan… he couldn't let them down.

"Okay. Luka, I need you to try and move Rockslide out of the way for us while Kevin withers away another entrance into the maze. That way, we can enter on two fronts and maybe surprise them when we get to the target."

"I get it. Good thinking," agreed Kevin, Luka chiming in his approval as well.

It was actually Laurie who voiced a different tune. "You should tell Sofia this plan, so she can decide." It was not a hidden fact that Sofia and Laurie were best friends, and normally went to each other whenever they had a problem, but would Wind Dancer even listen to a word spoken by her teammates as she was definitely distracted by Hellion?

"Laurie, Sofia's not **listening**. She's too busy playing **footsie **with the enemy!" Josh Foley looked like he was having none of that camaraderie anymore. He was intent on winning, and nothing else at that point. Luka scowled in Josh's direction, mumbling something along the lines of the Hellions not being actual **enemies**, but **rivals**. If Elixir had heard him, he made no indication of it.

Brian Cruz appeared behind Rockslide, tilting his head curiously at the bickering squad. Santo turned his head slightly to look at his fellow Hellion, smirking slightly. "Hellion was right. **Prodigy's **going to be the problem."

"Yeah," he whispered, "he's the **brains **of that operation. Time to take him out. Lemme through."

It was a good thing Tag decided to take care of things just then, as Impel was getting ready to lift Santo off his feet to clear the way for the New Mutants. But that wasn't going to happen on Brian's watch any time soon if he could help it. He lowered himself to the ground as he heard David's voice ring out overhead one again to instruct the team.

"Once inside, you guys need to—," "Hey, Prodigy!"

The bespectacled mutant visibly tensed. He wasn't expecting to be called out at close proximity—especially not by someone he couldn't see. "Uh, yeah?"

Brian grinned. "Tag… you're it!"

Prodigy jumped back as his foot was touched, already covered with the telepathic repellant that came from using his mutant powers. "Hey, you can't **do **that!" He sounded a bit childish, Tag noticed, and it brought an almost amused grin to his face. Okay, it was definitely an amused smile.

"Just did. You're **it**, pal."

The New Mutants all began to run away from David as fast as they could; mumbling "must run from David" over and over. Laurie, Josh, and Kevin split off in one direction while Luka and Noriko sped out toward another. Surge had shot off like a rocket, quickly activating her contained energy. David called after her to not use up the charge or she would pass out, but it went unheard in her mind-controlled panic.

The New Mutants had been separated just as soon as they had achieved a set plan to at least gain a sliver of a chance to win. Brian stood back up with an excited grin. This was going to be **easy**.

.:: The Price of Loyalty ::.

"Ya have my thanks, Char," praised Icarus as he landed on the hedge where she sat quietly, playing the role as the watcher for any activity from the other squad. "Luka hit me with some thang tha' made me fall. But ya saved me…" Jay wasn't exactly sure **how **she saved him, exactly, just that he didn't actually hit the ground even though he was falling down and couldn't even manage to move while he did so. The smile she gave him told him that she had been the one to stop him from hitting the earth.

She stood up on the shrubbery, legs a bit wobbly as the leaves and twigs warped a bit under their mixed weight. He made sure to grip her arms to keep her balanced. "No need to thank me, Jay. Let's head on over to our target. We might be in the lead, but Tag's taint only lasts for so long."

The boy nodded, sweeping the cherry blonde into his arms before taking off toward the center of the hedge maze.

It seemed pretty straight forward until Charlotte brushed her hair back from her face and pointed to the ground below. Josh, Laurie, and Kevin were on the outer rim of the hedge maze; they were making their way to the center like they had been doing from the air.

"When we reach the target, put me down. I'll try to distract them the best I can," she plotted, speaking against the rush of wind hitting their ears. Jay looked at her with a confused expression. Of course she noticed it, and she let out another one of her laughs. "We can't have them jeopardizing our victory. Let me handle it. You'll have your hands full, anyway."

"Why would ya say tha'…?" he trailed off as he spotted just what she meant. In the center of the hedge maze (as they could already see, considering they were in the air) was a purple dragon. Admittedly, even Charlotte looked shocked, something he never thought she'd be. But a dragon would shock just about anyone.

She pursed her lips, brow furrowing in worry. "Maybe my distraction shouldn't be that flashy. I don't want to attract his attention."

Somehow, Jay found himself chuckling while he swooped down to land among the hedges so Cheshire could continue with the plan, taking off once again as soon as she disappeared among the greenery. Now it was his turn. Icarus had to distract a giant, purple dragon.

_God almighty, this is __**not **__wha' Ah signed up fer…_

.:: The Price of Loyalty ::.

Noriko was already wobbling on her own two feet by the time Luka had caught up with her. Although he managed to rush forward and catch her in his arms before she hit the ground, Surge was still very much fatigued; unable to recognize him for a solid moment while her gaze was out of focus. Impel managed to lean her against the trunk of a nearby tree so she could gather herself again while he looked around to search for a sign of their teammates.

"Thanks… Luka," she whispered, grateful smile on her face. His expression was at first impassive, but it warmed up when he faced her. The boy couldn't help but smile.

He touched her shoulder. "Next time Sofia tells you to expend all your energy for a **stupid **reason; don't."

A small laugh came from the blue-haired girl, and a nod of agreement followed just as David appeared in the distance running toward them. "**Noriko**! We're out of range… you shouldn't have used your electricity. Are you—Luka?"

"She's okay… just worn out."

David didn't respond to that. The resident brains of the New Mutants only kneeled down next to wear Noriko was slumped against the tree and looked at her with a deeply concerned expression. "You can't completely **drain **yourself like that, Noriko. You could get hurt."

She managed to sit up a bit at the sound of Prodigy's voice. "David, why'd you come after **me**? The team… they **need** you."

"We just have to hope the rest of the guys will pull it together," he said reassuringly as he placed his hand on her shoulder with a smile on his face. Nori was looking a bit better than she had before, already gaining back some of her energy since she was allowed to rest. Luka stood from his squatted position next to Surge, leaning against the side of the trunk to look at the direction of the hedge maze with a discontent look on his sharp face.

He snorted rudely, crossing his arms. "I don't think we stand a **chance** anymore, Dave." _And we probably never __**will**__, so long as Sofia remains the leader of our squad…_

.:: The Price of Loyalty ::.

"… Am I **interrupting **something?" muttered Cheshire as she hopped down from the ledge of greenery to land nearby Laurie, Josh, and Kevin. Elixir had just tackled his own teammate Wither to the ground after the latter had exclaimed something about "not allowing the dragon to **fry **them". Laurie was mostly concerned about Josh being touched by Kevin's ungloved hand. It really wasn't anything Charlotte didn't expect to happen.

Joshua Foley was actually the one who responded to her first while he moved away from Kevin, who had a cruel glare fixed on the golden boy.

"He wants to **kill **the dragon! Obviously it's not trying to hurt us or it would have already!" He turned to face Kevin, glaring with his fists clenched. It was the main traits of alpha male language. Charlotte found herself smiling in amusement at how rickety the relations in the New Mutants seemed to be. "We're supposed to bring him in, not **kill** him."

"Shut it, Foley!" exclaimed Kevin, "I can **win **this thing for us!"

It was currently deemed a drastic mistake on Elixir's part to have let go of Wither beforehand. The brunette was charging toward the dragon now, hand outstretched toward the beast. However, it took notice of him and fluttered its powerful wings to bring itself aloft and out of his deadly reach. He really was a smart dragon without the intent to hurt them. Josh had been right.

That was when Laurie came up with the idea to **calm **the beast using her pheromones. It was a brilliant idea, in Cheshire's opinion—and that was the bad part. She couldn't let the New Mutants succeed with that plan.

_But while they're distracted… _she hummed mentally as she caught Jay's familiar red wings past the purple of the mythical creature on campus. Charlotte waved a bit to gather Icarus's attention, which succeeded without alerting the creature as well. The Guthrie boy landed close to her, rushing over in case something had happened to her. "Y'all okay?"

"I'm fine, yeah. I have an idea. **Music soothes the savage beast**. Do you understand?" Her tone was actually rushed and a bit panicked. His gaze turned concerned as he rested one calloused hand on her shoulder. She smiled in thanks before patting his hand gently.

"Ah get it. But wha's **wrong**?"

She actually **bites** her lip, which makes him let out a breath of laughter. "Do it before Kevin gets to the dragon. He wants to **kill **it. Things have gotten serious, Jay."

The teen felt his eyes widen significantly at that news. He only nodded in agreement, shooting off into the sky much faster than he originally intended to. It was more than easy to figure out what she meant by her words of advice to him, definitely, but it was another thing to be able to catch the dragon's attention **and** be able to calm it in time.

He flew up behind the dragon just as a very appropriate song crawled its way into his head. But really, did it matter **what **song he sang so long as it distracted the thing? "Aw hell…" he whispered, taking in a deep breath and hoping for the best outcome.

And so, Jay began to sing.

"_Puff the Magic Dragon lived by the sea…"_

The dragon stopped pursuing Kevin, beginning to turn its head in Jay's direction.

"… _and frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honalee…"_

Charlotte looked up from where she had managed to ward off Kevin long enough for Josh to tackle him down again, her tense shoulders relaxing as her teammate's serene voice floated over the scene. Laurie took notice too—a smile was one her face as she commented on how **beautiful **of a voice Jay had, much to the dismay of the two boys on the ground.

The empathic Hellion smiled to herself, eyes moving to silently watch Icarus as his musical talents washed over those nearby.

"_Little Jackie Paper loved that rascal Puff…"_

It was truly a sight to behold. There was the purple dragon who had struck panic and fear (even some defensively murderous intent) in the student's hearts was now hovering in the air, swaying joyfully to Jay's voice as if it were at a concert. In Charlotte's mind, it actually looked rather adorable while it danced along to the song. A cute, dangerous critter that was dancing to her teammate's singing voice.

"… _and brought him strings and sealing wax and other fancy stuff…"_

She was actually **entranced **at this point; she'd almost forgotten to begin walking closer to him and the objective to secure it in case something happen. Always plan ahead, as she commonly told herself, no matter how sure victory looks for you.

So she stepped closer, trying so very hard to get over the awe she seemed to become absorbed with under the waves of sound. The way was past the withered away shrub, so she ducked under the dead greenery, followed closely by the New Mutants as she did so.

"… _Oh Puff the Magic Dragon lived by the sea…"_

Jay landed gently on the ground in front of her, the dragon following suit. However, it began to shrink to a smaller size before it landed on the mutant's arm to actually **cuddle **up to him. The little critter was just like a pet! Cheshire nearly giggled outright at the preciousness of the moment, but bit it back with some effort as she continued to approach them.

"… _and frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honalee…"_

That was when he stopped singing, smiling at the little reptilian on his arm. The expression heightened when he spotted Charlotte moving over to them. The dragon flapped his wings in excitement. Jay beckoned her over with his free arm, gladly accepting the victory hug she gave and returning it just as happily.

His expression was unreadable as he watched her interact with the little dragon, her cheeks flushed from the heat but a wholly true smile on her face. She cooed at the critter, those pale fingers brushing along his neck like she was coddling a family pet. The reptile certainly seemed to enjoy it, a cheerful little sound coming from the mouth that was breathing fire only moments before, and his tail swishing about gleefully.

Both teams and the advisors were approaching. Jay placed his hand on Charlotte's back to lead her forward so she could keep playing with the dragon—it looked like she was enjoying it a lot.

It flew off from his arm as soon as they reached Cyclops, perching on the headmaster's arm instead.

"Thank you for your participation today, **Lockheed**." The dragon—apparently named Lockheed—made a soft noise in reply before tilting his little purple head curiously to stare at Mr. Summers. The leader of the X-Men directed his gaze toward the collected number of students from both the Hellions and the New Mutants now, showing them Lockheed in a good view. "Yes, Lockheed is a dragon. He's **real**. He's intelligent. He has feelings."

Lockheed lifted his head then, almost looking smug at the introduction.

"One of my fellow X-Men **befriended **him years ago."

Jay and Charlotte rejoined their squad mates silently, paying full mind to their headmaster and what he was saying at the moment. No one from the younger crowd seemed to want to even **try **and interrupt—and they hoped no one **would**.

"We included him in this exercise to prove a point. Life as an **X-Man **is never as **simple **as it seems. This was a test of creative thinking. **Both **teams showed initiative and found Lockheed…"

_I'm definitely sensing a "but" in this speech_, griped Josh bitterly from his place next to Laurie.

"… However, in the end, the **Hellions **were that much quicker." A collective sigh moved through the winning team, a grin even forming on Cessily who'd just entered the crowd herself.

"Admittedly they took **risks** that led to the **capture **of one of their own. But by the rules we laid out, the Hellions are today's **winners**," he stated, looking at the designated team and offering them a congratulatory nod.

A rush of excited murmurs rose over the Hellions as they cheered and praised each other happily on a job well done. Julian and Charlotte even had their own high-five, being the two who brought the plans together that won the first Field Day challenge for them. Brian pulled Cheshire and Cessily into separate one armed hugs, Santo then crushing the cherry blonde in a bear hug that made her audibly wheeze. Jay even got a well-deserved collection of high-fives and fist bumps from the guys in the team, a quick hug from Mercury, and another warm hug from his favorite New Yorker.

The shadow of a ghost smile was on Scott Summers's lips while he watched them. Then, he turned to face the glowering New Mutants and straightened up just a bit.

"I would like to point out that the New Mutants **also **performed exceptionally well. Although the **property damage**," Kevin looked down at the grass when those words were spoken, "inflicted on the hedge maze is a major issue to be dealt with."

_Didn't Lockheed cause some property damage while breathing fire all over the place? _Charlotte arched a brow in confusion while sending a quick glance to the other squad.

"In the end, this came down to a matter of **seconds**. Unfortunately there can only be one **winner**."

That was when David Alleyne took a step forward from his squad. "Oh no," whispered Charlotte with a pure strain in her voice. She knew the Hellions did nothing wrong, but the fact that David was going to bring something up really showed a bit of their character and how **ashamed **they felt about losing. Did they honestly only see Julian's squad as one full of people who would blatantly **cheat **to win?

**Brain Boy **pointed in their direction, focused in the direction of Brian. "Excuse me, Cyclops, but I have a **question **about the rules…" _I'm sure you do_, grumbled Julian in his head, "… I think Tag **cheated **when he used his power on me. You said no **offensive **powers."

"Offensive, you say? I'm not sure how **poking **someone is deemed offensive. I heard it's popular among friends on the internet…" commented Charlotte with a nonchalant shrug, masking her actual dislike at the mention of the situation at all.

"**No way**, teacher's pet! That wasn't offensive. When **I **make you **it**, everybody else I target **runs **from you," cried Brian angrily while stepping outside of the group. Hellion grabbed his shoulder to calm him down, a glare on his face as he regarded the New Mutants' strategist. "If anything, my power **prevents **fighting!"

The members of the Hellions—save Jay—were all getting a bit riled. For most of them, it was because they just **knew **the New Mutants would bring up something to try and win on a technicality… for Charlotte, though, she felt it was a shocking move on the usually more rule-friendly squad. She wouldn't hold such a thing against them on the long run. It would be stupid to do so and she knew for a fact that a competition brought the ugly side out of even the kindest people.

Brian finally began to relax when Emma took her place next to Scott, regarding them with the familiar cold look that was known of the White Queen. "Brian, **please**. Allow me to handle this."

"I think David has a **point**."

A sigh from the blonde mutant, and a slight roll of her blue eyes followed. "Of course you do, Danielle."

Scott decided to take the reins once again at that moment when he gestured the two women to follow him into the mansion. They walked in front of him while he closely followed. He did not enter the school without a last statement to the students. "If you kids will excuse us, we'll take a minute to discuss this."

Lockheed flew off of Cyclops's arm and hovered on over to where Charlotte stood next to Jay, happily landing on **her **arm this time to gaze at the winged teen with what was a definitely kind expression.

"I think you've made a friend, Jay," she teased with a soft giggle. His shoulders shook a couple of times in amused agreement.

A frustrated huff caught their attention. It wasn't hard to notice that it had come from Josh Foley, who seemed to be in the middle of a hot-headed tantrum over the challenge. The Hellions watched him with a mix of emotions ranging from silent amusement to worry over his sanity—latter belonging to Charlotte and partly Jay, of course. Icarus was thinking more along the lines that the competition needed to be settled already so they could **relax **and no longer be at each other's throats more than they usually were.

Things became much more heated when a prize was on the line, he knew that, but he despised being grouped into the Hellions as one of Julian's lackeys. A part of him knew that Cheshire didn't fall into the category either—neither did Sooraya, actually. He absentmindedly scratched underneath Lockheed's chin while he watched the scene in front of him unfold.

"This stinks either way! I don't want to win on a **technicality**!"

_You should be thankful if you do happen to win on such a term, considering what David just did to even give you a slim chance! _She tried to keep her shoulders from tensing up, but Lockheed noticed the shift and moved his little face to stare at her curiously. Charlotte spoke sweetly to him and gently stroked the crown of his head while Elixir continued on his dramatic tirade.

"This shouldn't even **be **an issue." He rounded to the side and glared at Sofia, full accusation obviously being directed toward her. "We coulda won if you'd had any strategy at all, Sofia."

"Uh… Josh… maybe you're being a little **harsh **on Sofia…" muttered Laurie timidly while her hands fidgeted very nervously. It was understandable why. She was actually stating her own opinion against the boy she had the monster of all crushes on. That took some extreme guts, and Laurie did not use them commonly at all.

Josh turned to face the blonde girl. "Laurie, I know she's your **friend**, but if she didn't turn this into some **thing **between her and Julian, we would have **won**."

As always, whenever Laurie was compromised, Kevin had to step into the fray and be the proverbial knight in shining armor. Charlotte's eyes darted toward Cessily, whose own expression was more than a little guarded at the moment.

"Laurie's right…" he piped up while he moved to stand next to the named girl and to join in the collection of his teammates, "You need to lay off Sofia. If you would've just let me—," "**Kill the dragon**?" Lockheed shrunk back against the crook of Charlotte's arm at this sentence. "Geez, man, throttle down the bloodlust."

Luka spoke up next, the opposite of Wallflower's timidity in human flesh. "Drop it, Josh. It's too late to do anything about it now." To Charlotte it was all too obvious to see the anger Luka possessed toward Sofia—almost as bad as Josh's own. But he kept it under wraps, his respect for a team leader and his way of being discreet on interpersonal matters being the factor.

"Whatever, man," scoffed Elixir to his Russian squad mate. He wouldn't pick a fight with Luka—not unless he was stupid or he had a death wish. "This isn't about Kevin or disintegrating a dragon. This is about Sofia **not knowing **how to lead. We've got a **genius **on our team who came up with a plan that got us right back in the **game**." He gestured behind him to David with a rough jerk of his thumb in that direction.

"I think **David** oughtta be leading this squad."

"He's right, David," agreed Noriko with a smile on her face. As if she wasn't **blatantly insulting her team leader by saying those words**.

Even Julian looked a bit perturbed by the way they were talking about Sofia as if she had no say in the matter—it was sheer disrespect! The blue-eyed telekinetic's jaw was set, body tense, and he was not so subtly glaring at the New Mutants from where he was standing.

But at that moment, David redeemed himself in Charlotte's eyes.

He turned to face Sofia, nodding his head in recognition. Prodigy hadn't turned to Josh, who was standing right there to offer more words of praise for the smart boy. "Guys, fighting amongst ourselves is not going to **solve **anything. Sofia's in charge and I **stand **by her."

While Sofia smiled at him in pure relief, Josh's expression was definitely not a positive one. He walked away from both David and his squad leader to stand closer to Noriko and Laurie, Kevin even. He was **not **happy.

Just then, the advisors returned.

"Can I have your attention, students?" Headmaster Scott Summers definitely had gained the attention of both teams as soon as he stepped out of the school. Winning the competition was such a **big deal**, after all. "We have a **ruling**."

_Finally_, snapped Julian in his mind, _I don't think I could stand here for another second listening to those idiots make public fools of themselves, especially Foley._

"The rule was put in place to prevent violence between students. Brian Cruz's power is not violent, nor did it cause **violence**."

Brian grinned, giving Julian a thumb's up. "We've got this thing in the **bag**." "Helps when our advisor is **dating **one of the judges."

"Therefore our original ruling holds."

_Miss Moonstar doesn't look too happy about this loss either_, thought Charlotte somewhat surprised, _but at least she isn't blaming Sofia for it_.

"The **Hellions** win."

Santo, Brian, and Julian were the ones who cheered again. The others stood there with pleased expressions, but little else happened with them. They were a bit distracted by the dark cloud that now loomed over the New Mutants—even darker than before. There was a rift driven between them, made of distrust and disrespect that was only going to grow unless someone owned up and fixed it.

"Whatever. Nice work, Sofia."

Josh kicked the dirt and walked away from his team, most presumably to sulk. Laurie looked honestly torn between sticking with the best friend she defended and going to comfort her crush. Sofia looked upset, somewhat betrayed (which was very understandable). David didn't have an open expression that was easy to discern, but for Charlotte, she could sense the unease in what had been said about him becoming leader. A part of him agreed that Wind Dancer could have had a strategy, but the larger part was loyal to a fault. It was quite honorable. Noriko wholly believed in David… that was all. It was nothing personal against Sofia. All she wanted was what was best for the team! As for Kevin… it was more than likely that he only defended Sofia because Laurie had. In fact, it was the only reason he did it.

The little dragon known as Lockheed flew off from Charlotte's shoulder to glide back onto Scott's waiting arm and perched there.

"Come on, Char," whispered Jay as he took her elbow to lead her away from the dispersing team of New Mutants and the traveling cheer of the Hellions.

Neither of them wanted to be there anymore.

**Charlotte and Megan Gwynn, September 16: Evening, The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning Girls' Dorm**

Shuffling into the room almost silently with her toiletries, wearing a pair of black denim shorts and a white-black flannel shirt, Charlotte was seemingly the epitome of relaxation. Her body language was carefree and the stress in her shoulders from the drama of Field Day was gone. "It's really amazing what a hot shower and fluffy house slippers can do for someone's stress levels," she commented before flopping down on her bed, items put back into the toiletry's basket on the shared shelf.

Megan giggled at her roommate, bouncing a bit from her Indian-style seated position on her own bed on the other side of the room. "Didn't the Hellions win today? Why would you be stressed?" The pink-haired Welsh's unyielding curiosity was actually charming and very much welcomed by the cherry blonde.

"Well, Kevin wanted to kill the poor dragon," this earned a gasp from Pixie, "and then David accused Brian of cheating because he used his powers on him. The rules were not to use them **offensively**. Mind you, unless being turned into more of a social outcast, his powers aren't that offensive at all." Charlotte adjusted her left sleeve, rolling it to her elbow like the one on the right. She then played with the heart-shaped charm on her necklace. "Oh, and I can't forget when Josh pretty much **bagged** on Sofia in front of everyone. I understand being upset over losing to someone he dislikes as much as Julian, but to be so rude to your squad leader… It's **wrong**, somehow."

The fairy girl nodded seriously, a little frown on her face. Megan belonged to the squall called the Paragons, led by Rahne Sinclair. Their leader was Ben Hammil, a hothead (literally) who liked winning and was more sure of himself than any other person besides Julian Keller. Unlike Julian, however, Ben had a friendlier disposition.

"Do you think my squad will do well?"

"I don't doubt it," reassured Cheshire, "Ben is a good leader. Besides, you have Jessie Vale on your squad, so you should be able to know whether you're going to win or not before you even start!"

"What's the fun in that, though?" Her tone was a bit disbelieving.

"I suppose you're right. She never seems excited about anything. Well, I guess that would come with always knowing what's going to happen next…"

Another giggle came from Charlotte's pink-haired roommate. It didn't take much to make the small girl smile and laugh, something that balanced the older girl's nonchalant attitude nicely.

Charlotte shook her head quickly, gold and strawberry layered locks flopping about. It was a habit she had picked up from Pixie. After a shower, when their hair was still wet, they would shake it about just for the sheer amusement of it. The action made people laugh, Megan had said, and was a nice icebreaker when things got quiet.

It worked, another giggle floating about the room. "Should we start walking to the dining hall soon? Dinner should almost be set up by now…" "I don't see why not. But I'm not exactly looking forward to sitting near Julian today, considering the acceptance speech he'll be giving over winning the day's challenge."

Megan scrunched her nose a bit, curious. "You don't think he would really do that, do you?"

"Well, I don't **doubt** it," she deadpanned.

"Is he **really **that egotistical?" Megan had stretched out the last word of the sentence a bit, as if testing it. Charlotte found herself smiling, despite the matter of conversation.

The freckled teen kicked off her pair of Darth Vader slippers (being a fan of a franchise she would not openly admit to being in, lest Julian attempt to use it as blackmail or otherwise, as she would be forced to use… the force on him), standing up from her seated position to fish out a pair of moccasin flats, and then slipping them on.

She chortled audibly. "He is," she admitted while reaching out to grab her hairbrush from the top of her dresser, beginning to run it through her hair.

It was then that Megan seemed to remember something, butterfly-like wings on her back fluttering about at hummingbird speed to lift her off from the bed and back onto her feet while she excitedly skipped about on the tips of her toes. Charlotte watched her in amusement, asking what could have gotten her roommate so excitable in such a small moment of time.

"I just remembered that Callie and Max wanted to watch a movie with me later! They said they would invite Dallas, Paras, and Victor too!"

The shorter female noticed the **hardly** there blush on her friend's cheeks. She grinned, gliding over and grabbing her arm. "You can join us, if you'd like… I'll even save you a spot next to Dallas if you want!"

Charlotte sputtered out an excuse along the lines of "being busy with homework" before opening the door of their room and rushing out and speed walking down the hall in an attempt to escape her roommates obsession with pairing her up with the shadow master.

Megan called out after her red-faced roommate, dashing down the slowly filling up halls.

Charlotte could not walk fast enough at that point in time.

**September 16: Dinner, The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning Dining Hall**

As always, the room was filled with loud chatter during dinnertime. Many of the students preferred to sit in their squad groups, but many of them mixed and matched because of their friends. It really was just like a human high school.

However, Jay Guthrie **didn't** sit with his squad mates, choosing to sit on his own or with a random group nearby the Hellions—never **far**, but not **with**. It was like he didn't want to be coupled in with their reputation, something many people found shockingly easy to understand. Charlotte opted to sit with him that day, so he was talking with her happily. Besides Sooraya and maybe Cessily, she was one of the reasons that Jay found enough peace within the Hellions. Of course, Charlotte was his closest friend. It didn't really matter what squad she was on…

"Did ya finally relax like ya wanted?"

She grinned, nodding in response. "I did, in fact, and it was in the form of a hot shower followed by a nice little chat with Megan. The girl's like a never ending ray of sunshine."

"Remember tha' one time during flight class? She hit the tree and came out laughin'?"

Charlotte bit her lip to stifle the giggles bubbling up in her chest at the recollection. "Twigs and leaves in her hair and all she could do was laugh until her cheeks matched her hair!" The red-haired Guthrie was chuckling along with her hushed hums of laughter. Jean-Paul had not been pleased with how his class lost a lot of its concentration after the incident, which had made the scene even more amusing.

"If Ah recall, Char, y'all were the ones to get knocked down when Sofia overshot her powers to race Julian that day."

"Well, we can't help it if we're **small**!"

Managing to quell the humor, Jay stopped laughing while Charlotte attempted to drown the giggles by sipping some water. "It must be fun havin' her as a roommate, Char."

"You have no idea, Jay. What about Sammy?"

Sammy was too young to be in a squad like Jay and Charlotte, so he was included in Miss Manh's group of students until they were of age to be placed into separate teams. "He's a nice kid. Ya know he gave me the tour o' the place?"

The girl nodded with a soft smile, blue-green eyes sparkling. "He's a sweetheart, despite all the crap he went through back home for looking the way he does."

He offered her a somber nod. Young Sammy had the physical appearance of a fish-boy by most accounts, and it was common knowledge that he had been picked on severely before being sent to the mansion to learn among those who would not ridicule him.

Jay Guthrie nodded, wings stretching a bit behind him. Her eyes followed the movements of those crimson appendages, and he noticed, brushing the side of her arm with the feathers. It made her smile from the soft feeling. "Ah have to agree with ya there."

The two mutants could hear Julian riling up their squad with a number of victory cheers and snide comments about the New Mutants. Charlotte had to fight with herself not to roll her eyes, but Jay had no qualms of sneering in their general direction. She liked that about him. He could be so open about his own opinions, especially for someone who kept to himself.

"I choose to ignore the whole thing, Jay. Let's just enjoy dinner before we have to go to class tomorrow and actually **think**."

His tense shoulders relaxed, but only by a bit. She was right, of course, but he just hated how Julian thought he was better than anyone who wasn't like him. It reminded him off the people back home in Cumberland, Kentucky who judged his family just because they were different or weren't as well off as the rest of them.

But Charlotte seemed to notice how much it bothered him. She always did. Even now, though, he really wondered what her opinion on the whole thing was…

Her hand found his shoulder, squeezing gently. His muscles relaxed under the silent assurance. Fretting about something like one victory among several unforeseen challenges was pointless. Maybe if they lost, Hellion would be more humble (doubtfully, but by chance it could happen, and that was enough for the Kentuckian to hold onto).

Jay turned to thank his friend for the gesture, but found that her eyes were wide and distracted by something behind him. It was the first time he'd seen such an expression on her face, and it greatly bothered him that she seemed almost… afraid.

Turning his head to the direction she was facing (and many others were facing, apparently), he saw the headmaster walking with a man dressed in a suit. They both had grim expressions on their faces, and were walking closer to them. Charlotte froze up, grabbing his wrist tightly. Why was she so afraid of this man?

The hold on his wrist tightened the closer the man got to them.

Then it clicked. She was an **empath**, which meant that she could read into the emotions currently circulating about. She might know why that man was here. If that was indeed true, though, how much of a bad feeling did she gather from him to be so frightened? It actually worried the Southerner to see the calm Cheshire he knew turn into someone who actually could feel such intimidation. He had to know what she was sensing; the curiosity was only making the worry increase.

Before he could ask her, however, the man had stopped walking to stand in front of the tables where the Hellions were seated and spoke his intent without hesitation.

"I'm here to arrest Kevin Ford for the **murder** of his father."


	4. Chapter 4: Your Biggest Mistake

Chapter Four: Your Biggest Mistake

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of the Universe. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are born to make manifest the glory of god which is within us. It is not in just some of us; it is in all of us. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fears, our presence automatically liberates others."

-**Marriane Williamson, **_**Excerpt from "A Return to Love"**_

**Charlotte Price, September 17: Afternoon, The Grind Stone**

As soon as all the classes had ended for the students of the institute, most of them rushed to a previously planned agenda. Others milled about without much to do until one of their friends found them and dragged them off to one place or another. It was a monotonous but hectic sense of order that the residents had already become accustomed to despite the short time they'd been in school at the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning.

Charlotte Price was not one of the people to be dragged off or to have plans. All she could admit to was a sudden craving for coffee and the company of an electric blue-haired Japanese girl to chat with about the Field Day shenanigans. That, and the fact that the rest of the Hellions (save for Jay, who wanted nothing to do with it) were off playing another rematch with Josh and a select group of other students on the basketball court, something she did not want to participate in. Nonetheless, Charlotte didn't really have anything important planned. In fact, the circumstance was the exact opposite.

It wasn't really a matter of importance when she entered her room. But then, Megan spotted her and began another attempt of convincing her to spend time with a group—and Dallas. The Welsh girl **always **mentioned that Dallas Gibson would be there. She didn't say it in a mean way, of course, but she was confident that if the empathic strawberry blonde and the shadow manipulator would only spend some quality time together, they'd probably find something in common and then the rest would work itself out until they started dating or something along those lines.

Cheshire shuddered at the thought of some sort of romantic rendezvous planned by Pixie. No one else knew she had developed a small crush on Specter that one time she saw him use his powers so proudly during summer vacation—and if Charlotte could help it, no one else would.

_The temperature that day was unbearably warm. It was an odd humidity; the kind that was so stifling even the most adventurous students opted to remain inside the mansion at all costs. So the school was alive with a hum of voices and random laughter. In retrospect, the entire day bore an odd sort of presence for everyone. Everyone seemed to be in a sort of rut._

_It had been about a year ago. Charlotte was spending her first summer at the institute and was not at all sure what to do. Her roommate Megan Gwynn was getting ready, brushing her hair and picking out a matching pair of shoes so she could hang out with a group of friends. However, being relatively new to the mutant school, Charlotte didn't have the same kind of social network that the pink-haired girl did._

_The strawberry blonde could easily sense the coating of excitement that radiated off of the other female, and it left her admittedly a little envious. Not in such a dynamic way, perhaps, but it was lying there in absolute displeasure._

_Being kind-hearted soul she was, however, Megan noticed her fellow mutant's downtrodden expression while she was getting ready. "Would you like to hang out with us? I really want you to meet me friends!"_

_At first, Charlotte considered denying the offer. She didn't __**know **__any of them. Then again, she'd never know them if she didn't initiate an introduction first. That was how you met people. She nodded after a long moment of remaining silent, a small smile appearing on her face. _

_Her side of the room was really plain. It was generally left the same as when she'd first arrived, except for random items of interest that she collected or brought with her. But she stood up and drifted over to her dresser in search of a decent outfit in which to meet new people. Perhaps she was overthinking the entire thing, but she wanted to make a good impression, for her sake as well as Megan's. The girl invited her. She didn't want to give the other students any reason to not like her, therefore blaming the Welsh for bringing her along out of good will._

_A while later, the two girls left their room, Megan in her adorable tomboyish garb consisting of a boat neck Dazzler tee and shorts with slip on sneakers. Charlotte opted for a cream, sleeveless dress that reached her knees with a short sleeve cardigan layered over it and a pair of black flats._

_Afterward, they walked to the Rec Room, where many students gathered to watch television or watch others play video games on the large screen. There were other factors for fun, including a foosball table as well as a pool table. Then there was the bookshelf toward the back of the room with plush chairs where you could see Kurt Wagner, Nightcrawler, reading one of Shakespeare's works. He gave his newest drama student a small wave as she entered with the pink-haired teen. Charlotte offered a shy smile in return._

"_Megan!"_

_Hope waved over the small Welsh, offering a friendly grin before guiding her to sit with them on the couch. Victor was the one to take notice of the new kid, the small cherry blonde with the freckles dusting her nose and cheeks. _

"_Hey there…?" "My name is Charlotte," she said softly, but sharply. It startled the scaled boy. However, he realized how nervous she must feel, being in a room full of people she'd recently seen but not actually met. "I'm Victor… or Anole."_

"… _Anole?"_

_He looked somewhat embarrassed as he shoved his hands into his jean pockets and shrugged. "It's my mutant codename. You know, like when we train?"_

_The girl nodded in understanding. "I don't have one of those yet."_

"_Well… you're __**new**__. You'll get one pretty soon, though. __**Everyone**__ does."_

_They were then beckoned toward the couch by the other students. Charlotte ended up seated next to a boy with blonde hair and blue eyes. She'd only seen him a couple of times before when she passed him randomly through the halls or during mealtimes. He didn't have a noticeable mutation (as he appeared __**normal**__—whatever that meant). So she silently wondered what his abilities were. She learned that most mutants were most curious about another's abilities before much else._

_Her pondering was answered when the boy said he'd fetch the popcorn. Not a moment later, he turned into a sheer black form and sunk into the ground and was gone in an instant. Her blue-green eyes widened and she actually backed up into Megan, who laughed at her reaction. "Don't be scared! It's Dallas using his shadow form."_

"… _Dallas?"_

_She giggled. "His name is Dallas Gibson. He picked out the codename Specter. To be honest, he's got a dark side to him, but he's really nice despite that."_

_The miscellaneous previews began playing on the large screen. Charlotte looked as if she was trying to morph with the arm of the couch. All of the different emotions floating about in the room were causing her a headache. It didn't help that she had been in contact with Megan for a decent five minutes that left her dizzy._

"_Are you okay, Charlotte?" whispered Pixie into her roommate's ear as she saw the petite girl shift even further away. _

_It was a moment before she answered. "I'm not feeling to well. I'll just go get the drinks or something since… Dallas… is already in the kitchen. I need some time away from so many people…" It sounded a bit ungrateful, she admitted to herself, but she couldn't say it any other way. Her gaze was apologetic at best, though._

_So the emotion-ridden girl took her leave, rushing out of the Rec Room and making a hesitant beeline for the kitchen. Being relatively new as she was, Charlotte wasn't entirely familiar with the school's complete layout. She was still very hesitant in venturing without a guide of some sort._

_Charlotte Price spotted Dallas Gibson as soon as she entered the kitchen doorway a short time later. He was leaning back against the counter, repetitive and random sounds of popcorn popping in the background sounding over the hum of the microwave. His gaze found her and he nodded once, quickly, before standing up a hair straighter. "Hey."_

"_I… came here to get drinks in case someone got thirsty and it wouldn't be fair if you had to carry everything there by yourself so I offered…" she rambled, only pausing when she heard the microwave chime loudly, causing her to jump._

_The blonde male smiled a bit at her reaction. It was hardly noticeable. _

_He reached up to get a large blue bowl from the cupboard after opening the microwave door. She wasn't really sure what to do besides stand there like a fool. _

_She managed to gather some sense, walking to the refrigerator to begin her search for the drinks she said she'd get. "What would you like?"_

_He looked at her, shrugging. "Just get a pack of cola. And bring water bottles, too. I'll get you a bag so you don't have to carry it awkwardly."_

Because forbid the fact that I'm awkward as it is_, she thought ruefully. _

_She set the drinks on the counter while he poured the popcorn into the bowl. Besides those basic sounds of movement and actions, the room was silent. Charlotte looked at him from the corner of her eye, curiosity fueling her actions. _

"_So why did you __**really**__ leave the room? I know you didn't randomly decide to help. No offense, of course, but come on."_

_Her face flushed a light pink. It was a little shocking how he was right on the nose. The male's smile became just a bit more noticeable as he turned to regard her more than he had before. It was more than a little unsettling for her to be focused on by someone she barely knew._

_Charlotte bit her lip. "I'm… empathic. But I don't have enough control to keep everyone's emotions out so sometimes it gets crowded and I get headaches." She didn't know why she was telling him this. He seemed genuinely curious, however, and she really didn't like keeping it hushed. "Since it's only the two of us in the room, I feel a lot better. You're… misty blue. Content."_

_His posture actually relaxed a bit more. Had he been tense at her presence or was he just as guarded? He smiled at her kindly now, helping her open the bottle of soda she had begun struggling with._

_Those freckled cheeks darkened in a harsher blush._

So there she was, walking down the streets of Salem Center toward the hanging sign that read **Grind Stone**. Adjusting her satchel as the strap dug into her shoulder, she pushed the door open, a soft chime filling her ears that was more than familiar.

Soft music was playing through the speakers. She heard rhythm of some sort of indie band, low vocals and guitar strings. The café was pretty much generic in appearance. Like many other places that offered the same services to a caffeine-hungry society, the main color scheme was earthy greens and browns with light touches of wood here and there. A gentle drone of voices floated through the area. All of the people collected in the condensed area made Charlotte a bit uncomfortable—she could feel their **outer emotions**.

To her (and she assumed many other empaths as well), there were **layers **of emotions that people could feel at any given time. The **outer emotion **was the most powerful and frontal feeling. It was the first feeling an empathic person would sense. Then, there were the **deeper emotions**, which were harder to sense and usually were not to be addressed. She could sense those through skin-to-skin contact. People did tend to get defensive over those hidden feelings, understandably. And finally, there were the **core emotions**, the kind that Charlotte could only sense when she had skin contact with someone she had a deep bond with. She'd only ever felt the core emotions of her parents.

Perhaps it was for the best, though. When an empath felt someone's core emotion, they tended to be dragged into the emotion themselves. Once inside, it was difficult to discern where one person's emotions began and the other was copied over. Many empathic beings lost their minds because they let the proverbial shield fall because they let themselves become too attached.

Cheshire shook her head, cherry blonde locks swaying at the gesture. It was never wise to dwell on negative possibilities. She concentrated, forming a mental barrier that kept the stronger emotions from influencing her mind.

It was time to return to the present.

The main thing she noticed first was the tall Russian leaning on the counter chatting with Noriko. A smile appeared on her face when those brown eyes found her blue-greens and widened. Surge's posture tensed up and straightened, attempting to be flippant of the current situation. Luka, however, didn't understand why she'd done it, and he looked at her in confusion.

"Hey, Charlotte," greeted Nori, sounding none too amused.

Charlotte snorted a bit. "If I received a greeting like that every time I walked through a door, I'd feel so much more welcome wherever I went!" The sarcasm was palpable, but it was all in good humor as Noriko found herself smiling.

Luka turned around in surprise, only calming when he saw the empath. He fingered the strap to his Captain America messenger bag. "Hey," he greeted in a more cheerful tone than Noriko had.

"What brings you here? I got here a half hour ago. Luka got here five minutes ago. Did you get bored at school or something?"

"No, nothing like that, I assure you," she waved off with a flick of her wrist, "I just had a sudden urge to drink some good coffee. Also, I wanted to speak to you about something." Her tone sobered significantly as the sentence went on, and it caught the attention of the two New Mutants.

The male in the trio narrowed his eyes curiously. "What?"

"How do you feel about what happened on Field Day? Things felt extremely tense around your team even when it was all over and done with. I haven't felt anything like that before," she confessed somewhat reluctantly. It was difficult to openly state just **how **volatile the chemistry between the squad felt. _They could form a nuclear bomb with how volatile it felt_, she groaned in her mind as she watched their expressions darken before her.

It was silent for a short while as the two squad mates wondered which one of them would say something to the Hellion first. Eventually, though, Luka took the reins and spoke with total clarity and without consternation. "Sofia doesn't make a good leader. The entire time, she was too busy being distracted—poorly too—by Julian. If for just **one **moment, she could have seen what was going on and we would have had a good chance of winning. Instead, we floundered about until **David **had to be **asked **to make a plan so we'd at least have a small shot. It was just sad."

She nodded solemnly.

He continued, leaning his elbow on the counter. "I don't actually care about winning. But the fact that we lost terribly and the reasons we did… It's enough to piss anyone off, really."

"I mean, Sofia's nice and all, but she can't lead. David should be the new squad leader."

The freckled girl looked at her blue-haired friend, expression unreadable.

"I think Sofia can lead… she just can't strategize," muttered Charlotte in a tone that could be easily described as unsympathetic. She didn't dislike Wind Dancer; she just knew that the girl had no business trying to make a plan when she obviously could not.

"You're right," agreed Luka, "She can't strategize, and that was a major point of our loss. That still doesn't mean I agree with Josh throwing a fit in public like a child. Even if she messed up, Sofia is still our squad leader, and I respect her."

"That's quite admirable of you, Luka," hummed Charlotte with a grin on her face.

The boy scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest, watching the odd female with his glassy blue eyes while Noriko regarded them both with a soft laugh.

Strawberry blonde locks whirled as Charlotte scanned the people around them quickly; only turning back to them once she lowered her voice to a low utterance. "Speaking of Field Day…"

Noriko and Luka blinked in unison, confusion written all over their faces. She had to purse her lips to stop from laughing outright. Accepting the cup of coffee Surge handed her, she stalled in speaking for a long moment. The silence was bothering the two, and it made Cheshire's grin only widen more when she wasn't sipping on the hot beverage.

She lowered the cup, running the tip of her finger along the rim. "You two seemed really cozy through the whole thing."

If only she had brought a camera or had an eidetic memory! The expressions on their faces were the sort that she would have loved to remember forever. Their faces were in a mix of flushed embarrassment with a good hint of flustered anger. Obviously, they believed it was none of her business, how **cozy **they were.

It was Luka who recovered first. "That's not important," he muttered, "Have you heard all the stuff people have been saying about Kevin?"

"You mean how he's dangerous and to not get near him lest you want to die a horrible death? Yes, I've heard, and Miss Frost almost caught me thinking about punching someone," scoffed Noriko. "I might not adore the guy, but no one deserves that kind of judgment."

Now Charlotte's interest was piqued. "You speak from experience."

A nod was her only answer. She knew well enough what Nori was referring to, and it was all too soon that she found herself thinking about her own squad leader's imperfections.

After that statement, silence could only follow, lingering above them for a solid moment or two. It wasn't an awkward or uncomfortable silence. However, it did leave them thinking about the goings on, and that was enough to draw back some thoughts they'd rather have pushed aside until a later time.

Such as what the school is going to do with Kevin concerning the F.B.I. literally walking in and demanding him to come with them.

Charlotte found it extremely difficult to sleep last night, having tossed and turned until she'd actually given up and listened to music to lull her to sleep. It had worked, but not well, and nursing the current cup of coffee was a high priority.

The bell on the door chimes once again, and the three teenagers turn around to see Danielle Moonstar, advisor to the New Mutants, walk inside with a stressed look on her face and in her gait. Noriko greets her and waves her over to immediately get started on a cup. Luka nods respectfully in her general direction. Charlotte, however, merely flashes the older woman a smile that does not actually reach her eyes.

"Are you here to drown your sorrows into some coffee, Dani?" asked Noriko Ashida while pouring a fresh cup for the illusionist. A real smile was on her face as she regarded the woman who was now practically her new guardian. The New Mutants trusted Dani to a very high degree, something which confused Charlotte. She never voiced it, though.

Moonstar sighed. "Yes, I am, actually. This whole thing with Kevin is driving me crazy. I don't know what to do about it."

_You should protect your students_, snapped Charlotte in her mind, sipping her coffee while attempting to look calm. She couldn't help but chew on her lip out of a nervous tick.

And if Cheshire thought that the presence of Danielle Moonstar was enough to make her tense, Agent Justin Pierce of the F.B.I. decided to enter the Grind Stone not long after Dani had sat down at a random table. Automatically, she felt a chill move up her spine that was none too pleasant. So this was the man who was attempting to arrest Kevin Ford? Her ocean eyes narrowed at his presence, and she noticed Luka staring at her curiously before she turned her back to the two adults.

Unfortunately, Pierce passed in front of her to get a cup of coffee. He didn't really seem to notice her somewhat distant attitude.

The young woman wasn't completely sure as to the reason why she felt so guarded around someone like Agent Pierce. Of course, it could probably be explained that she had an aversion to the law and all those connected to it, but that wasn't really the case. To be honest, Charlotte couldn't pick out why she felt guarded around him. It could have been for the fact that he was planning on taking an innocent boy to jail for losing his father and it was cruel—heartless, even—for someone to do so.

A sigh of relief came from her when he finally got his order and walked away. She believed it over—until he stopped and began to speak to Dani.

"Forget the donuts, in law enforcement the most important thing is a good cup of **coffee**," he said in an attempt at a joke, perhaps, "Can I sit down?"

The dark-haired woman glanced at him from the corner of her eye, glaring slightly. "I can't stop you."

_Why is __**she **__so temperamental around the agent? She has no reason to be_, growled Charlotte inside of her mind. At the moment, the girl could not make heads or tails as to why she felt this immense surge of anger and defensiveness pulsing through her veins. Her hands clenched around the cup, slowly forming to fists on each side of the cream-colored porcelain. Noriko was the first to notice, concerning gaze washing over the New York native.

"You're **wrong**, you know. You were then, you are now," chimed Agent Pierce's voice as he did in fact sit down across from Dani.

The smallest hints of a smirk (most likely rueful) was on Danielle's face. "You really know how to **charm **a woman, Agent Pierce."

"Are they… **flirting**?" asked Luka in an incredulous tone. "It's more than a little hard to tell."

If they had been flirting, any indication was gone from Moonstar's expression. She seemed to sober up in the hint of a moment. It was as if matters suddenly were presented in front of her and she had to somehow own up to them. "Do you have any kids, Agent Pierce?"

"No."

"Well, **I **do. I've got a group of students who look up to me. **Rely **on me." She licked her lips, looking away from the blue-eyed federal agent. Whatever was going on in her mind at that moment was weighing heavily upon her. Charlotte felt the slightest waves of confusion and fear from her. She didn't want anything **bad **to happen to Kevin, but she was obviously afraid of what would happen if the government didn't have its way.

Her eyes fell upon the man across from her once more. "I brought Kevin to Xavier's when he had **no place else **to go. How am I supposed to turn him over and watch him be **tortured**?" She narrowed her eyes at the male. "People are **afraid **of us, and his particular mutation is only going to make it **worse**."

Cheshire tensed at that, head tilting in disbelief at what she had just heard.

"They **are **afraid, but if your school shields Kevin, then you'll be saying that mutants are **above** the law."

His gaze seemed so sincere that Dani actually softened in his presence. While she was still very upset and lost as to what she should do, she was actually mulling the words over. "Then they'll have every reason to **be **afraid."

No matter how much Charlotte knew that his words were supposed to offer some sort of comfort to whoever heard it and was concerned for Kevin's situation, it did nothing to quell her frustration. All she could openly feel was her own brand of distrust toward the man along with the mixed emotions of the people in the room. Perhaps the overload was screwing with her natural emotional process.

That **would **explain the headache she was developing.

She touched her temple, and Noriko noticed it quickly as she always did. "Dani's stress is affecting you, Charlotte. You don't really like her to begin with, but now she's making you feel tense. Maybe you should go back to the school relax."

Of course she agreed, but then Agent Pierce's voice caught her attention before she was able to give her blue-haired friend a slightly painful nod. "Kevin's father's death was a horrible accident. And Kevin's the one who suffered the **most **for it. He doesn't **deserve** to be punished," he began, "I know that. And I believe the **law **will reach that conclusion. I'll **make** them reach that conclusion."

He leaned forward a bit, grasping his cup of coffee in between his hands.

"So I'm asking you to trust me. I'll take care of him."

Dani sighed deeply, looking down into the dark brown beverage that warmed her hands and was currently occupying the porcelain mug she held. All of the self-doubt and confusion as to which path to take was practically radiating off of her by then. Cheshire was slowly feeling overwhelmed.

The illusionist closed her eyes, looking absolutely downcast. "My connection with Kevin is… **tenuous** as it is." _And the award for the Most Obvious Statement of the Year goes to… _"Even if I tell him to turn himself in, he might not listen to me."

Agent Pierce carried a downtrodden expression of his own this time as he stood from his seat and watched Dani with a copious amount of sympathy oozing out of him. "If he doesn't, I'll have to come with an **arrest warrant**. Take him by **force**." Those words made Charlotte's skin bristle defensively. She turned around halfway and glanced coldly in their general direction. "It could make things worse for mutants everywhere."

"I need to leave." Charlotte's voice was uncommonly cold and clipped. The other two teens didn't say anything, they settled for an understanding nod instead. Whether it was Dani's frustration and overall stress or Agent Pierce's determination and resolve mixed in with everyone else in the coffee shop; she couldn't discern what factor was practically making her see red. It was an annoying and highly confusion emotion for the usually tempered empath. She stepped away from the counter and began to walk toward the door with tensed shoulders.

_It could make things worse for mutants everywhere…_

_I'll have to come with an __**arrest warrant**__…_

Charlotte bit her lip and clenched her fists. A part of her was **screaming **to run out of there and warn Kevin about what was being said about him as if he were some kind of **object **that was dangerous. He was a teenage boy! Her hand reached out, and she grabbed the knob of the door, muscles tensing lightly to prepare the natural action of opening a door—and she froze as she once again heard Pierce's voice ring through the air nearby.

"Please. Just think about it."

_You want the woman to think about how she has a choice between turning in one of her own students or her responsibility to keep all the others safe?_

"And by the way, excellent coffee here."

She hadn't heard that last sentence. Cheshire was already out the door, marching her way resolutely toward the institute.

She needed to see Cessily.

**Cessily Kincaid and Charlotte Price, September 17, The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning Library**

"You want me to **what**?" Cessily looked up from reading her science textbook with a look of pure shock and badly hidden anticipation, brows raised incredulously.

Most of the anger she had been experiencing at the Grind Stone had definitely worn off and faded into the wind. However, there was still an inkling of the negative emotion slithering about her gut. It unnerved the empathic teenager. She had mulled over the reasons behind the mentioned emotion on her way to the library but came up with only one solid theory.

A big part of her felt that Kevin was one of her respected peers, if not her friend. He didn't deserve to be punished for something as terrible as his father's death when the entire ordeal was an accident. She could see it in his eyes—his very core of emotions. Kevin was not a bad person. Cheshire was angry because Danielle and Agent Pierce had no right to condemn a boy for his father's passing. She couldn't very well wage war against the authorities, but she could try to help Wither in her own way.

"I want you to give Kevin a hug, for friendship's sake," she repeated.

The metallic-skinned girl's expression did not change, despite Charlotte repeating herself. If anything, she looked even more confused than she did before. Pink lips pouted slightly, the strawberry blonde oddly lost for words in which she could explain the odd idea.

Finally, she settled for honesty. "He's always so **sad**. A hug makes people happy?"

"You don't sound so sure, Charlotte."

"Do I? That's because I'm not." A somewhat rueful smile took the place of her usually calm grin, eyes twinkling nonetheless. It took a little while, but after a moment, Cessily sighed in defeat.

She scowled and turned away with her arms crossed; Cessily's own odd way of blushing, considering she didn't have blood anymore. "He might not like hugs."

"Or he might like them and getting one after being unable to touch someone for such a long period of time will make him the happiest kid alive," she countered, "Or… you know… at least not in the awkward sense? Because then **that **would just be hilarious."

"Charlotte! That is** not** cool!"

The freckled teen held a finger to her lips, trying to stifle her giggling and failing miserably. "Hush, Cessily. We're in a library!"

**September 17: That Night, The Xavier Institute For Higher Learning Campus**

"They are **everywhere**…"

Sofia floated about three feet from the ground, the wind lifting her up and supporting her as she peeked over the brick wall that separated the school campus from the outer world. Her fingers had a light grasp on the tough blockade. There were F.B.I. agents outside of that wall, on patrol.

A blonde male agent spoke into his cellphone. "Pierce is an **idiot**. We should just take the kid tonight."

_Hopefully they are not truly serious…_

"Can you hear anything, Sofia?" whispered Josh from behind her. All of the New Mutants were standing on the lush ground below, watching their leader with mixed expressions. She licked her lips, a nervous tick. "The wind is bringing me their **voices**."

The Venezuelan female released her control of the wind, landing with muffled force due to the grass underneath her. Sofia's entire squad was watching her in anticipation.

"Some of these F.B.I. agents are not as sympathetic as Agent Pierce is."

"Huh. I wonder why," hummed Luka with an arched brow that did not indicate interest. His expression was its usual stoic calm, but his clenched jaw revealed just how worried he was. It was easy to see that the boy was not happy with his leader's plan. But it wouldn't be the first time and it most certainly would not be the last.

She seemed to ignore the Russian teen's comment. "David, is there anything you can tell us?"

As always, the team strategist did not comment or argue. He leaned his head back on the brick wall behind him, closing his eyes in concentration. "I've picked up all sorts of F.B.I. procedures. They're probably using a standard deployment to watch and contain," he explained calmly, "If that's the case, there's probably just a **single **car watching the gate by the **stables**."

Their leader then had them move along the wall. Luka kept his gaze toward the ground, a troubled scowl on his face that generally went unnoticed by his teammates. This just seemed to scream **bad plan **all over the place. Luka **hated **bad plans.

Josh's voice caught his attention, making him look up and stop **just **before he bumped into Noriko's back. "Are we really going to take on the **F.B.I.**?" _Shocking, that it'd be Josh who offered the first point of reason…_

"I have my reservations...," stated David, turning back to look at the rest of the squad, "This isn't a Field Day exercise. We could be facing some **serious **trouble."

"David's right." He might not be best friends with the guy, but Luka respected David's honestly and intelligence in the situation. Everyone else was worried for their necks or wanted to prove something. David, however, was stating the damage that they could endure as a **squad**.

Kevin didn't seem too happy about David and Luka's differing opinions, though. "Hey, if you're not up to this, David, why tell us the best escape route?"

"Because Sofia **asked **me to and she's in **charge**. I just don't know if it's a **good **idea, Kevin."

Luka scoffed, hands appearing from where they were stuffed in his jean's pocket to lift his palms in a half-hearted shrug as if to say '**what can you do?**' "That's because it's **not**."

While Noriko seemed somewhat reluctant to agree, she **did **speak up, but not in Luka or David's defense. "You didn't hear what **we **heard at the Grind Stone. Dani's under some major **pressure**."

The air was tense for but a moment. They all knew that in the end, the decision wasn't really their call to make. If Dani, Kevin's advisor, agreed that they should turn him in…

"I don't really want to go up against the F.B.I. but I don't think we can let anything **bad **happen to Kevin," Laurie muttered while her hands fidgeted and she looked at the ground shyly.

"Thanks Laurie." The brunette teen's face lit up more than it had in **days**.

Their squad leader had made it to the gate, leaning forward a bit to take a peek to the situation outside, expression hard and determined. "Do not worry, Kevin. We will take care of you."

She turned to face David, expression not changing. "Sorry David. But we **are **going to do this."

His eyes widened at her words, palms spread in disbelief. "We're not just going to walk through the gate, are we? They'll spot us in a **second**!" _Please tell me she's thinking in stealth, and __**not **__just this crazy objective!_

"No. I will take Kevin **over **the fence with my **wind**."

"That sounds like a **great** plan," said Luka. There was more than a little bit of sarcasm in his tone, and his almost wolfish grin didn't send out any waves of comfort. It actually earned him a cough that sounded like a badly disguised laugh from Josh.

David looked at Noriko. "We'll need a **distraction**."

"One distraction coming right up!" she exclaimed, shooting the squad a peace sign that was already crawling with pent up electricity.

She ran forward to the gate and crouched partially behind the wall. A wicked grin split her face, drawn forth by pure adrenaline. The Japanese girl's powers crackled to life at her fingertips for but a second before they shot forward and made an arcing strike across the street, past the car, and into the tree nearby. The agent cried out, shouting into his phone for back up while jumping out of the car, gun now drawn.

The wind picked up around them. Sofia was now using her powers to lift both her and Kevin over the wall and onto the street on the other side. Her hair whipped around her as she whispered a soft assurance to her somber squad mate. "Do not be afraid, Kevin. The wind has you. You will not **fall**."

_It's not really the __**wind **__I'm worried about_, he said mentally. Kevin didn't **want **to be arrested, but he didn't want to get **shot**, either.

"**Stop **right there!"

Just the tone of voice made their muscles freeze for just a moment. Sofia and Kevin turned to see Agent Pierce standing not too far away with a **gun pointed at them**. "Do **not **move. I don't want to shoot you!"

_Then __**don't **__point a gun at us! _Kevin's mind shouted in panic. Absently, his hand twitched, a sudden urge to use his powers in defense creeping into a corner of his mind. If he was going to be threatened by some suit with a gun, he might as well gather a defense of his own. So he began to sneakily pry off his glove…

"**Agent Pierce! Justin! No!**"

Danielle Moonstar ran in and yanked Justin Pierce's shoulder back so he would be forced to face her and her worried anger. The man didn't look intimidated.

"Mr. Ford was trying to **leave **campus!" _And you think it's a good idea to pull a gun on me? It just goes to show how convicted I already am. Why hold a trial when I already know the outcome?_

The advisor to the New Mutants was also not so easily swayed. "I'm sure you're **mistaken**. The kids often have a **craving **for late night trips to the Grind Stone." The expression on her face, especially the hard look she directed toward her two students, meant that she knew **exactly **what they had been up to beforehand. "Am I right?"

"Yes, Miss Moonstar," agreed Sofia. She had stepped in front of Kevin, a sign that she was planning to defend him against Agent Pierce if anything were to happen. Her hand was on the slightly shorter boy's shoulder, glare directed to the federal agent.

With all of the negative looks being sent his way, Justin got the message and put away his gun. Once it was out of sight, he looked at them. "… Fine. I'll be back tomorrow. Just remember what we **talked **about." He made his exit then, shooting them a final glance that made Kevin involuntarily tense up.

Dani grabbed their shoulders tightly. "Kevin, Sofia… come with me," she whispered after glaring at Pierce's retreating back, grip on their shoulders tightening a bit as she guided them back to the gate entrance where the rest of their team waited.

"You kids almost made a **horrible **mistake."

Surprisingly, Laurie was the first one to speak up, stepping forward with worried look on her face. "We can't just let Kevin—!" "**Nobody **wants to see Kevin get into any trouble."

_Except the agents, of course, but that's their __**job**_, thought Luka with a grim sigh.

Kevin didn't look too hopeful, himself. That or he didn't wholly **believe **Danielle. "That's good to hear, Miss Moonstar."

Dani took the reins again, looking at her squad of students. "But this is an issue for the **school **and for **Kevin**. You can't involve yourselves. You'll only make things **worse**."

That seemed like the incorrect thing to say around Sofia at that moment, because the brunette lashed out, hands on her hips in a classic post of displeasure. "It is **wrong**. Kevin is on our squad. He is our **responsibility**."

It was David's turn to attempt to diffuse the situation. He put his hand on Sofia's shoulder, a gesture he believed would calm her down from her sudden act of passionate fury. "Sofia, stop. You're being overly **emotional**." _Why is she like this?_

"Wrong thing to say, comrade," muttered Luka as he pinched the bridge of his nose and shut his eyes tightly, "Wrong thing to say."

He was right. Sofia rounded on David, entire body tense. "And what if I am? I will not apologize. That is who I am, and I am the **leader **of the New Mutants. You didn't want it, remember?"

_Is __**that **__what this is about?_

Before he could say it out loud, she was already walking away angrily. "Sofia!"

"Let her go," said Noriko, looking at him in understanding. She knew he had only meant well. The entire squad, it seemed, shared his belief that Sofia had been way too emotional about this. At least the reason behind her erratic state was becoming a bit clearer.

Kevin finally spoke up then, tone distressed and more than a little hopeless. "Wow, I really know how to bring a house down…"

"Kevin… **none **of this is your fault," countered Dani.

"Yeah," whispered Luka with an angry glare directed at Sofia's back, "This isn't **your **fault."

**September 18: Lunch, The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning Dining Hall**

The Hellions were sitting at their respective table (except for Jay, who sat **close **to said table along with Charlotte since she opted to sit with him since Kevin began to join), by now expecting Kevin to automatically sit with them upon arrival if not with his squad. Today, however, he moved to sit by himself, distant from both tables.

"That's… highly troubling," breathed Charlotte, her hand pressed to her forehead as if in pain. Jay looked at her, worried, but she brushed him off with a careless grin. _It's all… black despair and greys. Like a dark storm cloud… What's __**happening **__to you, Kevin?_

Cessily's eyes followed him silently until he sat down. "He looks so **sad**." The concern in her gaze was actually heart-warming to anyone who could see just how much she cared about the boy.

"Yeah, poor guy, Cess. The **whole school **is talking about him," agreed Julian, offering a sincere glance toward Wither from the corner of his eye before he turned slightly toward Cess. Ever since the encounter between them in the hell, Julian had definitely stepped up to be kinder to the metallic girl, acting as an older brother might.

Santo sat up straighter. "Julian, **we **were talking about him up till yesterday. He's **dangerous**."

"Yeah, man. He's a black hole of **bad energy**. People don't like him. We should stay clear," confirmed Brian, tone earnest as he attempted to make Julian see that maybe Kevin wasn't the kind of person he'd want to hang out with.

Julian scoffed. "That's **nuts**."

That brought an amused grin to Charlotte's face. "Things are about to get a bit more interesting, my friend," she whispered to Jay. He didn't quite understand, and visibly jumped a bit when Julian all of sudden clambered on top of the table, telekinetic aura surrounding him and reflecting a green energy in his eyes. "**Listen up, everybody! I said**—

"**Listen up!**"

Items began to randomly float about in a general radius around the mutant. Glasses, plates, and other relatively light objects hovered about.

"You've all been **talking**. Gossiping. About how one of our classmates is going to **jail**. You should be **ashamed **of yourselves. He's a **mutant**. Just like you and me. Some Flatscan from the **F.B.I. **shows up and says he's **dangerous **and you **believe **it?" Julian spread his arms open, items floating just a little bit higher as if to accentuate his point. "So Kevin Ford is dangerous? We **all **are. We're the next step in evolution and they want to **shut **us down. And all you can do about it is **gossip**."

He then gestured toward Kevin, looking at the group of students. "Take a good look at Kevin 'cuz he could be **you**."

Julian actually began to float at that moment. He gestured to Ben Hammil, leader of the Paragons. The attention made the flames covering his entire head flare up for just a moment in surprise. "Ben, when you're **flame **powers manifested, you **torched **your town's park. Did they send **you **to jail? Because if Kevin goes, you might be **next**." Now he pointed to Noriko, who glared in his direction. The sound of crackling static could be heard as a low hum around the room. "Hey, Nori, you were homeless, your powers were out of control, you **robbed **the local coffee shop. They come for **you **yet?" Charlotte groaned audibly and dropped her forehead onto the table. Her winged friend looked at her in absolute confusion. "And Dallas, first time you went into **shadow **form, your grandfather had a heart attack. Are **you **responsible for that?"

_Did you __**have **__to drag him into this? _She lifted her head from the table and returned to her regular seated position, a flustered scrunch on her freckled face. _Dallas doesn't like being mentioned like that at all, not in that way…_

Her eyes found Dallas'. He really wasn't pleased, jaw tensed and eyes haunted. The boy still very much blamed himself for his grandfather's death.

"_Thanks for the help," praised Charlotte as they were walking through the halls to return to the Rec Room where the other students were waiting for them, "If it helps, I'm glad I volunteered to get drinks to escape a migraine now."_

_A smirk appeared on his face before he made a response. "I'm kind of glad, too, Charlie."_

"… _Charlie?"_

_Another small smile was on his face, warmer this time, and it made her face warm up. "Don't friends give each other nicknames where you're from?"_

"_I'm from New York!"_

_He laughed. It was a deep sound. "Good! Then you know what I mean, Charlie. You can relax around us, you know. If you ever feel overwhelmed… just tell me and we can take a walk."_

"_Thanks, Dallas."_

"_Don't thank me, Charlie. We're friends now."_

So her friendship had developed into a crush over time, yes. But she undoubtedly kept it under so many wraps that a mummy would flip at the sight of it. However… she couldn't ignore that persistent ache that echoed around in her heart when she saw that pained expression on Specter's face.

It seemed Julian was not yet finished with his moving speech, however. "Sofia, didn't you **trash **your dad's store? You got to avoid **jail **because you came **here**." He calmed a bit, but the effect of his words did not at all waver.

"This is the place we go to be **safe**. They want to take one of us away and all you can do is **gossip**. You're **terrible **mutants. You're not fit to be called _Homo Superior_."

_So… as long as a mutant understands they are not above the law, they are not allowed to be? Your passion is moving, Julian, but your words… these words are propaganda. They don't __**need **__to make sense, as long as they work. _She looked around and sighed under her breath, noting the disbelieving look in Jay's eyes at what he'd just witnessed. _But not everyone is fooled…_

She couldn't ignore the looks of admiration that seemed to appear on many of the students. That bothered the empath—and some of the New Mutants—it seemed. There was no doubt that some of the teachers would find Julian's riveting speech somewhat haunting. It **did **resemble many famous words spoken by a certain manipulator of metals.

"Ah can' believe some people are actually listenin' ta him…"

"Unfortunately, Jay, I can."

While Charlotte could **clearly **see the fault in Julian's words, sure, but she could also definitely see the appeal in them. They really could all be dangerous, in retrospect. Even they did tend to forget that at times.

If there was one thing she could say for Julian's speech, it was that she saw it brought a smile to Kevin's face. For some reason… she felt like that was enough at the moment. Something told her that Cessily thought the same thing.

As if he heard her thoughts, the brunette boy turned to look at her. His smile lit up just a bit more, something that **never **happened when he looked at the members of his own squad (except Laurie Collins, of course). Cheshire gladly returned the gesture with a warm and honest smile of her own.

Her attention was returned to Jay when she felt him cross his arms in annoyance. It looked like someone didn't agree with Julian's speech at all. She turned to face the red head.

The look they shared set one common thought in motion. It wasn't one they enjoyed, honestly, but they knew was inevitable.

This wasn't going to end well for anyone, especially Kevin.

**Cessily Kincaid and Kevin Ford, September 18: Evening, The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning**

There weren't a lot of things that could make Cessily Kincaid feel awkward. Giving Kevin Ford a hug as he walked into the basement to work on his next sculpture was definitely one of them, however.

The teenage boy tensed up at the contact. She thought he would rip away from the embrace and tell her to leave—a semi-similar repeat of what happened the last time he'd touched her **weird **skin. It wasn't as if she could blame him. She was a freak among freaks… wasn't she?

Sure, Julian's words had definitely helped her, but there was still that snake of doubt that lay coiled about in her gut. It would strike at the most random times now. She would feel her self-confidence disappear as if it had never even existed, draining her emotionally. But this time, as she embraced Kevin Ford, the feeling did not appear. She remained confident despite the awkwardness of it all.

Kevin seemed to somehow feel that she wasn't going to back down. For some reason, he didn't want to either. It definitely took him a while longer than was humanly correct, but he finally returned the hug somewhat hesitantly. But not at all reluctantly, he silently admitted.

"Thanks, Cess."

She laughed softly, breath hitting his ear and fluttering his hair a bit. "Don't thank me for giving you a **hug**, Kevin. You looked like you needed one and I **wanted** to."

Cessily could feel his smile widen as his skin stretched a bit against her cheek.

For a moment, she wondered if he minded her metallic skin. She wasn't actually **flesh** anymore, therefore, she wasn't **warm**. But because they were still in the warmer months of the year, she wasn't **cold** either. It was more of a lukewarm temperature. But even then, some people might find that temperature unpleasant.

Kevin made absolutely no note of it as they stayed in that position for a very long while. She wanted it to last as long as possible.

Eventually… it had to end. She knew that.

It was nice that he tightened the hold just a bit before he released her though, and it made her feel butterflies even after he had let go. If she could still blush… she would have been.

With a nervous cough, Kevin rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously. His happy expression slowly began to fade away again, as if his problems started to wash over him as he sobered up. Cessily knew she couldn't stop it. Things were hard for him at the moment. All she could do was make sure he knew that the Hellions—especially her and Charlotte—were there for him. Even Julian was standing up for him now!

"You know that we're not going to let anything happen to you, right? You're a great guy, Kevin, and the Hellions have got your back!"

A small smile. "You guys are really cool. I didn't think anyone here cared enough to defend me. But then Julian made that speech, and Charlotte actually smiled at me. And then you… you…"

She giggled again when he blushed.

"I wish I could be in your squad, Cessily."

"Me too. When this whole stupid mess is over, we're definitely asking Miss Frost to make a transfer for you! You belong in the Hellions!" He deserved a team that would respect him and care about him. Not one that would whisper behind his back and take the poor guy for granted just because his powers were dangerous. Anyone could be deadly. But she was impervious—so Kevin wasn't the most dangerous person in the world.

Why couldn't everyone else see that?

The gleeful smile she received from him was the only answer she needed to know. He knew he belonged with them too.

**September 18, The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning Headmaster's Office**

"Look, I know Kevin is probably **scared**. But believe it or not, I'm here to **help**." Danielle Moonstar had not been expecting to hear Agent Pierce's voice through the door to the headmaster's office in the school. When she had entered and seen him, she barely held her tongue in the bitter response that was bubbling through her chest. The man **sounded **sincere.

Emma stood and there was a cold look in her eyes as she regarded the federal agent. "Kevin has the **right **to be scared. That right **does **apply for **mutants** as well as baseline humans, does it not, Agent Pierce?"

"Of course it does, Miss Frost," he explained patiently, "As do the laws regarding causing the **death **of another person. Accidental or otherwise." There was a hint of a warning there, and the telepath could indeed sense it almost as if he had told her about the undertone of his words openly.

"Perhaps Kevin should be here…" interjected Dani. Emma instantly disagreed, despite Scott's disapproving glance. "**We **will discuss this with Agent Pierce. **We **will **take care** of this. That is why we're here, after all."

Scott Summers shook his head and leaned closed to his girlfriend to whisper into her ear. "Emma, we need to present a **unified front **on this one." His tone was absolutely grim—and, as always, authoritive.

"That would be **impossible**, Scott," she countered in just as much of a hushed tone, "Given that we clearly** don't agree**."

The air around them was tense. No one was agreeing with anyone, especially the two leaders of the school. They almost **always **agreed when it came to problems associating the students. Dani felt that she had to step in to at least offer her own point, just to keep the ball rolling.

She bit her lip nervously and crossed her arms over her chest, trying to ignore the glance Justin shot her from the corner of his eye. "Emma, hear Agent Pierce out." _Did he just smile?_

If he had, it was already gone and forgotten. Justin stepped forward to confront Emma. "I'm not the enemy, Miss Frost." His tone wasn't angry, but somewhat pleading. "I just need to know **what **happened in Atlanta between Kevin and his father. I have my **theories**, but I need to talk to him."

It was then that Emma Frost rounded on Agent Pierce, proverbial cat claws extending as she defended one of her students like a mother would a child. "Really? You have a theory? You? An F.B.I. agent who has never had to deal with a **mutation**?" She looked livid.

"Tell me your **theory**."

While Scott tried to calm the blonde woman down, Agent Pierce was **thinking**. _How odd. She defends Kevin more readily than Danielle. Isn't he Miss Moonstar's responsibility? Why would Miss Frost react so strongly? Is it just a mere distrust of the law system because of what mutants have been exposed and dragged into or is there another reason for this strong adversity?_

More importantly, however, he needed to make a **statement**. "I think he has a **dangerous **mutation, Miss Frost. And when it manifested, he couldn't **control** it. I think his father died by **accident**." He scowled in consternation. "Am I **close**?" _Hell, I'd better be, or I think she'll skin me __**alive**__…_

Thankfully, Mister Summers came to his rescue. "Very close," he stated, "What can we do to make things better for Kevin?"

"He has to come with me. It needs to be handled **officially**. By the **law**."

_I can't believe they're thinking of putting Kevin through all of this. But I know, in the end, I'm going to have to be the one to make the final decision. It's my duty as his advisor…_

"Emma… this is **my **fault. I brought Kevin to the school instead of to the authorities all those months ago—." _And why are __**you **__acting as if he's your responsibility? Last time I checked, Kevin is rightfully mine to protect or give up—not yours._

The White Queen gave her a knowing smile, as if she'd **heard **those thoughts. She probably had. "And you were **right** to do so, Danielle. It is most unlikely a mutant would receive a **fair **trial. You **knew **that at the time and you brought him **here**."

_Yes… at the time. But what do I know now…?_

Agent Pierce was **not **giving up. "Miss Moonstar… you're Kevin's **advisor**… Tell him that **cooperating **is the quickest way to get this resolved."

"I'm sorry Agent Pierce… but I just don't **know** if I can do that. Kevin doesn't exactly **trust** me right now, and telling him to **turn himself in** might not be the best thing to do right now."

Justin sighed, crossing his arms and scowling in frustration. "You may be right about that. But the question isn't whether he trusts you or not. You should be asking yourself whether you'd prefer him to be** arrested** like a criminal or **freed** like the victim he is. Your decision."

She looked down, ashamed. "I-I'm sorry."

The woman turned away from the agent and the headmasters, exiting the room as quickly as she could, trying to block out the storm of thoughts taking over her mind. She was feeling a plethora of emotions including guilt, disappointment, anger at Justin—at **herself**, sadness for Kevin, worry for him, and an odd feeling of **envy **toward Emma because the older woman seemed to have the young boy's respect—something she could not seem to receive.

Outside of that room, the hall had **looked** empty, but Dani was quickly proven wrong as she spotted Charlotte Price from the Hellions leisurely strolling along the path. The strawberry blonde stopped completely when she saw the advisor.

"Hello, Miss Moonstar," she greeted with a smile that did not reach her eyes. "You seem very upset. Is it about Kevin?"

_How in the world would she know that I'm so upset about Kevin? Her empathic abilities don't allow her to know __**what **__the emotion is caused by… She's really observant. That's not a good thing for me right now…_

_Does my knowledge offend you, Moonstar? Just what are your plans concerning the boy you drove away once before? Will you alienate him again or have you finally learned from your mistakes?_

"The issue with Kevin has been solved, Charlotte. You don't need to worry about him. Trust me. I'll make sure he's safe."

The woman received another of those empty grins. "Of course you will, Miss Moonstar."

Nothing really **disturbed **Danielle Moonstar. That is, until Charlotte first gave her that cold smile when Kevin had first run away from the mansion. It was as if her expression was meant to frighten you and make you feel horrible. No light reached those ocean eyes even though that cat-like grin split her face to look cheerful.

Thankfully, it seemed those had been her departing words, and the teenager continued her walk down the hallway, away from Danielle.

_I guess I actually have no choice in the matter anymore, do I?_

She looked down, fists clenched in determination. Kevin was going to be taken away one way or another, and she didn't want to risk the other students in the process. There was only one path she could take now.

"Mutants are **not **above the law," she whispered under her breath once Cheshire was out of sight.


	5. Chapter 5: This Is Who We Are

Chapter Five: This Is Who We Are

"In order to be able to make it, you have to put aside the fear of failing and the desire of succeeding. You have to do these things completely and purely without fear, without desire. Because things we do without lust of result are the purest actions we shall ever take."

-**Alan Moore**

**Charlotte Price, September 22: Saturday Morning, Xavier Institute for Higher Learning**

"I'm just heading into town to cash this check from my **mom**, Julian. Can't you postpone practice for an hour or two?" Charlotte crossed her arms over her chest with a soft huff under her breath; nose scrunched up. While the leader of the Hellions squad looked none too pleased, he nodded his consent at her words. The girl didn't speak about either of her divorced parents much. All that was known about them was that they gave her allowance checks once or twice a month so she could be happy. To Charlotte, however, it was less of an allowance and more of a **bribe**. A kind and generous bribe, but a bribe nonetheless.

It was a decently bright-looking Saturday morning, and since she'd gotten the check, she was aiming to cash the thing before she got distracted with training and homework and who knew what else she could possibly be deterred by in the next couple of minutes. Charlotte tended to be the one people came to whenever they needed assistance. And by people, she meant her squad leader.

Julian licked his lips to remoisten them. "Well, I'm sure I can set it up with Miss Frost. It's not like you do this every day. You're not usually in such a rush to cash those things, though," he mused with a partially curious tone, "Is there something you want to get?" His tone was more than a little accusatory.

The freckled girl giggled softly, shrugging her shoulders. It was the kind of response that didn't agree or disagree, and that irked the squad leader a bit. She didn't want him to know whatever it was she wanted to buy with her most recent payment. He asked one more time, this time earning an amused look from his strawberry blonde teammate.

"It's just the usual shopping splurge every girl enjoys doing once in a while," she explained with a breathy sigh, "Since I didn't get a second check during the summer, I wasn't able to go clothes shopping for the new semester. Here's my chance." _And then there's also that __**really **__amazing video game I have yet to buy that Santo told me about…_

Deciding to speak out this sort of thing in the middle of a hall during a lazy weekend morning was proving to be quite the monotonous thing. But perhaps Julian planned it as such, for the halls to be practically silent, so the training he had planned for the day wouldn't be compromised by another squad that might have wanted the Danger Room. Honestly, the fact that she might be the cause of training being cancelled for the reason made a small bubble of pride fill her chest. She had to hide the smile that was forming on her face in glee so that Hellion wouldn't notice it.

"Just try to be back before dinner, okay?" He sounded just a little apprehensive. Charlotte couldn't really understand why, however. The Hellions had the lead scores for Field Day. But she knew Julian wanted win by a landslide, which meant that he would push his team. More than likely, the kind of apprehension he was feeling was merely because the hadn't **yet** achieved victory and that unknown factor was creating this little seed of doubt within him that could only be killed off when they won the Field Day prize.

She nodded. "I'll definitely try."

Surprisingly, he let her off with just a friendly wave before he walked down the hall without even so much as a smirk or a snide comment. At least it was a good surprise.

Charlotte Price then readjusted her satchel strap on her shoulder, brushed off her layered sleeveless tunic, readjusted her faded jeans, and turned to walk the other way toward the front entrance of the school. By now, the mansion was like a second home to her. She could walk along the halls with confidence, knowing where she was going and generally how long it would take to get there. Every doorway had its own use and each hall led to a known location. The silence around the early hours during the weekend was almost haunting as most of the students either slept in or had left early to go have breakfast with friends or family—something common for the few students whose parents lived nearby and still accepted them despite their mutant statuses.

The heeled boots she wore made soft echoing sounds as she made her way down the steps of the main foyer of the entrance hall.

It was there that she ran into Luka Steinheil, much to her surprise. He looked like he was ready to go out as well, hooded jacket zipped up and his Captain America messenger bag already slung over his shoulder while he leaned against the banister of the staircase. He looked at her as she neared the bottom step on the staircase. "Hey."

Luka shifted awkwardly where he stood and ran a hand through his lengthy blonde hair. "I overheard you talking with Julian." That statement made her quirk an eyebrow, curious. How in the world had he heard them? Could the tall blonde be that stealthy? "Can I go with you into town?" His voice was oddly timid for the tall teenager, and his posture was more than a little hesitant. He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand while the other gripped the strap of his trademark messenger bag. "I have… something to do today and I might as well go with someone who has plans too." The sheer look of discomfort on his face intrigued the empathic teenager. Her powers only felt that he was frustrated with something she couldn't actually discern, considering that there might be quite a bit for him to be upset about since he **was** a part of the New Mutants; who were indeed having issues amongst themselves.

"Alright," she hummed, "But what's with the sudden desire to go to town **without** Noriko?" She couldn't resist but to tease him at least a little bit. After all, if he was coming along, he'd have to be good enough company that she'd actually want him to accompany her in the future. Luka was a decent person who had wonderful ideals—but it wasn't exactly a secret that her nonchalant attitude and strange penchant for grinning sometimes made him extremely uncomfortable. She took a bit of offense. Well, as much offense as Charlotte could really **take**.

"I'm just really, **really** sick and tired about the whole Kevin situation. I want to get away from all of the whispers and arguments and the way he walks around like a man on death row." He didn't even make a snarky comment back at her to jokingly chastise her for her slight prodding at his emotions. The Russian was serious about this. He **really** wanted to get out of the house and away from all of the currently occurring drama.

The image that flashed through her mind, coupled with the burst of anger-sadness that moved through Luka actually made the usually grinning girl carry a soft frown. "I agree with you, Luka. The air is tense, and a trip to the city sounds like a good idea. I'm just lucky to have plans, I guess." She laughed softly, and then patted his shoulder as she moved down the remaining stairs until her feet hit the marble floor of the main entrance hall. "And I'm even luckier to have someone tagging along."

He nodded slowly, shoulders sagging in relief. They began to walk toward the entrance in the main foyer. Luka fell into step with Charlotte easily, being as tall as he was, long legs carrying him easily along the way.

As her hand gripped the knob on the front door, Charlotte smiled. "While we're walking to town, maybe you could teach me a few **unique **words in Russian." He cut her off, opening the door for **her** instead, and raising a curious brow in her direction.

"What kind of words?"

She laughed softly, walking out of the large doorway as he ushered her out. "Oh, you know, the kind that shouldn't be said when other Russian-speakers are in the room…" The girl had to chance a quick glance back at him after that.

The look the blonde boy gave her was more than worth it.

**Jay Guthrie, September 22: Saturday Morning, Xavier Institute for Higher Learning Boy's Dorms**

There was a cooling breeze rolling in through the open window in Joshua Guthrie's bedroom. His fingers were expertly strumming the strings of his guitar, voice humming the chorus of a random tune that was currently running around in his head. It was the weekend; therefore, there wasn't any training or Hellions business that he was being dragged into by Julian. The teen was very thankful for this and made sure to make the most of this available time. After all, it seemed like the egotistical squad leader was **always **trying to drag them into the Danger Room for training—especially Jay—as he was the newest member and needed the most work to fully integrate into the team's apparently **balanced **structure.

He sighed as he stopped playing the instrument, hand gently patting the body affectionately. His other hand ran through his deep red locks, slightly shaggy ends coiling about in the space between his calloused fingers.

While he had lifted his head to stretch his neck from the small crick that would surely be forming, his eyes fell on the picture frame that held a picture of the late Julia Cabot—the love of his life. As always, the familiar and painful swelling erupted in his chest, but it was less debilitating now. The pain was assuredly still there, yes, but there was also a lighter feeling as well. His fingers absently brushed at the lingering scar on his chest. A sigh escaped his lips.

It still hurt to look at that picture… but it didn't hurt as much anymore. A soft smile was on his face at the revelation. Not one of relief, but one of calm. It was about time to start moving on—to start living once again. As he found the face in the photograph once again, he stalled. _Maybe someday soon Ah'll be able ta look at ya and not feel this pain anymore, Julia. Ah know ya'd want me ta be happy. It's just so __**hard**__…_

Jay sat up straight as there was a knock at his door, wings fluttering as he balanced himself out. "Come in." _Ah sure hope it's not __**Julian**__ tellin' me there's more training today. Well, it's not like Ah can say __**no**__ er nothin'._

Samuel Guthrie, Jay's older brother who was known as Cannonball (or Mr. Guthrie to most students), walked in with a warm smile on his face. He was tall—blonde and blue eyed and kind. There was a really light trace of stubble on Sam's face that only seemed to compliment his country-boy appearance as he sported a pair of worn blue jeans and a flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up. "Hey there, Joshua," he greeted, "How've ya been?" His tone was definitely friendly, as Sam was an extremely friendly person, and it made Jay only feel a little bit of displeasure. This was his older brother. This was the same older brother who left the family when he had gotten his powers to go to some fancy school, leaving Paige the oldest and Jay without an older brother to teach him. Despite doing that, he was still idolized by the younger siblings. Then Paige had left as well, wanting to be just as great as Sam had become, leaving Jay to teach himself and to care for the family all by his lonesome.

He'd be lying if he said he wasn't at least a little bitter toward his older siblings—especially Samuel. He'd always gotten along better with Paige than he had the oldest male, admittedly, and it was awkward to actually be in front of the older Guthrie sibling. It was difficult to not snap in distaste at all the stuff he was left to do while Samuel went off on fun adventures. When he had been younger, it was no secret that Jay had been highly envious of his siblings. Sam was just the first at everything it seemed.

The first born, the first to have powers, the first to leave Cumberland, and the first to be a hero who everyone looked up to and respected while the rest of the Guthries remained that poor family who seemed to breed freaks and associate with them.

A chill blew in from outside, tickling the back of Jay's neck as his brother moved forward and gave him a firm pat on the shoulder. The redhead remembered how their father used to do that—before he'd died of black lung from working in the Kentucky mines for so many years to support them. Sam had been given the same responsibility when he had passed away. Then, when Sam left to the school, Jay took the work upon himself. The sole gesture brought back a quick wash of old memories. Mr. Guthrie had died when Jay was relatively very young and he didn't remember a whole lot. What he did remember of the man were very good memories, though. He wasn't sure if that made them better or worse for him to remember.

"Ah came ta tell ya tha' Ma called," the blonde male shuffled awkwardly from where he stood before continuing, "She says tha' she hopes yer okay and tha' yer happeh here… and tha' she loves ya, Joshua."

The younger of the Southern mutants looked down at his calloused hands for a very long moment, chewing on his lip as words fought to escape. He **wanted** to say he wanted to go home and mope about as much as he did when he got to the school—but he'd be lying. Jay **liked** being at the school, even with all the **drama **that was going on now.

All he could do was tell the truth.

"Ah… Ah'm sorry, Sam," he whispered, lowering his guitar to rest next to him. "Ma only wanted me to be happy, and Ah did nothin' but act like a kid." Acting like a kid was a strong understatement on a bunch of levels, he'd think, but he'd apologize to his mother as much as possible the next time he got to see her in person.

"Ya were **depressed**, Joshua. Ya'll can' help that." As always, Sam was the understanding older brother who cared about family and trust—a good soul that only did what he thought was best, always. Jay wondered how he could think badly of his older sibling. Even when Sam left, he was probably only doing so because he thought it best if his family didn't have the guilt of harboring a mutant in their home, and going to the school would give them some peace. But that deep seed of envy and anger always found a way to snap out at his mind whenever someone even mentioned the oldest Guthrie.

Had Sam always had his family in his heart—even from the beginning?

"No, Sam… Jus' know that Ah'm sorry." His voice faltered at the beginning, but got stronger toward the end, and he was actually somewhat proud of himself. Jay could admit he was wrong—that he'd been wrong for acting the way he had when his mother was only trying to do what was best for him at the given time. He'd been a total mess (he knew it now, too) and when the woman who birthed him tried to offer him solace, he snapped at her like an angry fool.

"Wha' could ya be sorreh 'bout, Jay?" He looked absolutely confused. The grip on Jay's shoulder was a bit firmer, as if letting the redhead know that he was there for him. It was actually a little amusing to see how Sam was so supportive despite all the hostility Jay had thrown at him when he was just a kid who felt little else but jealousy toward the blonde. But a lot of those feelings had dulled over time and been packed away due to maturity. He was slowly moving on from who he had been and what Julia's death had made him into.

Jay's mind moved through the people he'd met in the school. From Julian to Laurie and Sammy to Charlotte—it made his heart feel a little lighter than it had since Julia died. He looked up to his older brother and honestly smiled, the blonde's eyes widening in pleasant surprise.

In that instant, he recalled Charlotte's words to him on that day…

"_**You need to back away from the sun, Icarus."**_

_How am Ah supposed to do tha', though…?_

"_**Or you are going to fall from the sky before you find the freedom you're desperate for."**_

_Is this what she was talkin' about? Do Ah have to move on from the past? Do I need to stop looking back at what happened ta me—ta Julia…? Somethin' tells me that she's right. Ah don't think the pain will ever really go away, but it's fadin'. _He watched his brother return the smile after a moment, eyes warm.

_Killin' myself—what good would tha' have done for anyone? Wha' would've happened to my family because o' it? Ah'm so sorry fer doubtin' my Ma, mostly. And Ah'm also sorry for puttin' my family through tha'. Ah gotta move on from this. Being at this school is helpin'. Ah don' really know __**how**__, but it is._

Charlotte flashed through his mind once again, and he had to fight back the grin that was trying to split his face. _Thank ya kindly, Char._

"This is where Ah need to be."

**Charlotte Price and Luka Steinheil, September 22, Salem Center Bank**

It was still a very interesting thing to walk around Salem Center as if they weren't the feared mutants broadcasted on the news every day for one reason or another. So long as no one got hint that they were different from any of the other teenagers out for the weekend, they were invisible to the crowd. A certain strawberry blonde whose face was covered in freckles was really curious to see how much of a difference it would make to her experience in town if she just let her powers slip for a second. Of course she wouldn't let it happen—but the curiosity she was feeling always tended to get her into trouble, anyway.

Luka walked proudly next to her, as if he really wasn't a mutant. Either that or he didn't care that he was most probably the scariest thing in most of these peoples' minds. Was he that proud of the person he was as a whole? Charlotte silently wished she could possess just an ounce of that pride in what she was enough to walk with her head held high for more than just regular accomplishments. A glimmering from a large structure caught her attention and she looked ahead to their objective.

The bank inside of Salem Center (which was about an hour away from the institute) looked like many other banks of the same big-name corporation types. A lot of people in line, all impatient, and bored-looking employees behind their designated glass receptacles looking out at the world—or, at least, what could be seen from the windows. The ceiling was decently high. Most of the walls were littered with generic paintings or copies of famous prints from around the world, to give an air of sophistication that banks usually tried to form.

Charlotte and Luka walked into that very bank. He quickly noted that they were the youngest people inside the building, not counting a child who was being toted around by his grandmother, his Iron Man book bag bobbing around as he toddled after her.

They both made their way into the line, Luka readjusting the strap to his messenger bag while Charlotte hoisted up the conjoined straps on her little buckled backpack. Admittedly, it was nice having someone along for a change. She was usually stuck along in the line by herself and there was nothing at all enjoyable about being all alone in a line.

He leaned close to her, whispering. "I have a question about Field Day that I forgot to ask you before, actually." She nodded slowly, offering him a confused look as well as a weary one. "Does Jay have any other abilities besides… you know…?"

"Not that I'm aware of, no."

The Russian shrugged his shoulders, still keeping that wary whisper in his voice. "I sent something his way, and there was no way he could have dodged it, so I was just wondering…"

Instead of dropping the subject like Luka expected of her, Charlotte smiled as if she knew something he didn't. It startled him—seeing that knowing grin. "Who said it was Jay?" The tone itself was unnerving on its own.

He looked at her, curious scowl on his face. If she saw his expression, she made no note of it whatsoever, merely stepping forward in the line with a hum of laughter.

"The only other person who might have been able to do something was Julian, and he was too busy distracting Sofia," she explained.

"**That's **true," he agreed. _But it could have also been you, Charlotte._

The silence between them stretched out. There were few things as awkward as being stuck in a boring line with nothing to do but shuffle your feet self-consciously. Charlotte decided to fill the silence.

"So about you and Noriko…"

"I'll only say something if you'll tell me about you and Dallas first."

Her eyes widened while her cheeks burned pink. Luka grinned—she hadn't been expecting him to shoot the question back at her like that. "How do you know about that?"

"It's a **high school**, Charlotte. Everybody knows… except Dallas, of course. He's still clueless about the entire thing, if it helps."

Charlotte sighed, cheeks tinged pink. "Not really, no."

It took a decent amount of time before the two teenagers found themselves at the front of the long line, Luka breathing out something like sounded like a "finally".

Just as she was about to reach the window to begin her transaction, a chorus of surprised screams filled the lobby of the bank. Charlotte tensed from the sudden rush of yellow anxiety and fear that instantly filled her mind. The inklings of power just began to tickle the back of her neck and the muscles beneath her skin. It was the telltale start of an adrenaline flow through a person's body, as well as the factor built into the brains of the teenage mutants due to their training. There was no fight or flight—there was only the fight until you cannot fight anymore. It made her turn around in alarm, Luka following suit.

Four men ran inside of the bank, pointing rather large guns at the terrified civilians. The scared citizens were backed against the wall, and some automatically fell to their knees onto the marble floor beneath them. "Get down or we'll shoot!"

There she stood as Luka readily lowered himself to the floor. She was paralyzed in fear, staring wide eyed at the bank robbers. It was a mix of her own fear along with the addition of the powerful emotion only multiplied by those around her that made the New Yorker freeze. Her skin felt cold, her entire body was made of stone. Her hands were clammy and her pulse was pounding inside of her ears.

"Charlotte! **Get down**," growled Luka as his strong hand found her thin wrist.

_Bright yellow fear, covered in bold blues. A strong drum pounding in the background—his panicked heartbeat—like a war song. There are sharp calls of something along the lines of a cello, perhaps a viola, swimming along in tune with that heart song; a steadying rhythm amongst unbound chaos. _He pulled her down next to him. That was when reality came crashing back to the freckled teen, and the fear was covered with something just as strong: resilience. "Thank you…" She tore her eyes away from him for a moment to look at what was happening.

A scowl was on Charlotte's face, mostly from fear and the rush of emotions now moving through her head. Everyone in the building was either filled with fear, panic, or rage from the robbers, which was unnerving enough for the girl as it was. "Those are AK-47s," mentioned Luka with an awed tone as he noticed the type of guns the robbers were currently equipped with, "That's a bit heavy."

"Yes, because my main concern is **what kind of gun **will be blowing my head off!"

The scene inside the bank was utter discord. Two of the four masked robbers were looting the main desks of the bank before attempting to get inside the vault while the remaining two were keeping a close eye on all of the cowering hostages.

_I never thought I'd find myself in a hostage situation as cliché as this_, thought Charlotte as she shifted uncomfortably from her spot next to Luka, _and with __**Luka**__, nonetheless…_

She almost cried out in surprise when a gunshot rang out—the strawberry blonde had to actually clench her fist in fear of releasing her powers as a defense mechanism before she had realized that it wasn't her that it had been directed to. A security guard fell to the floor, gunshot in his leg, crying out in sheer pain. A chill moved up her spine at the sight. She wasn't used to this sort of thing being so close and so **real**. No amount of Danger Room sessions, training expertise, planning, or teachings could prepare someone for this kind of situation on a mental level. Of course they **could** know what to do in this kind of situation—but you can't control a person's thoughts when they experienced something like that.

That was when she felt Luka's hand on hers once again. "We have to find a way to stop this." He sounded morbidly serious—and that made her just a bit more afraid than the nearly crippling fear than she was already experiencing.

She licked her lips. "I enjoy saving the day as much as the next person, but **death **is always a reason not to." _It's a very __**good**__ reason._

"We'll be **fine**. We have our powers."

They had to keep their voices to a minimum whisper at that moment. The robbers were becoming quite frustrated now that someone had actually attempted to raise a gun at them, and the new tenseness was almost palpable—especially for the empathic girl. "You're forgetting the lack of experience and a healing factor…"

He looked at her with the most serious expression she'd ever seen on a person save for Scott Summers when he was giving one of his **riveting **speeches on heroism. "We still have to try, Charlotte."

_I'm going to regret asking this_. "Why is that?"

Those blue eyes found her blue-greens, and he smiled. _Now I __**know **__I'm going to regret having asked him that…_

"Because we're X-Men."

**September 22: Saturday Afternoon, The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning Rec Room**

A group of students consisting of Noriko Ashida, Megan Gwynn, Dallas Gibson, Josh Foley, and Laurie Collins were collected in the Rec Room, going about their own business to pass the time for that lazy Saturday afternoon. Laurie, Megan, Josh, and Dallas were playing a board game at the table not too far from where Noriko was watching an action movie on the large television.

"… I'm still really worried about Kevin, guys. Miss Moonstar won't tell us what she's thinking of doing about the F.B.I., and it's more than a little scary if you think about what could happen," muttered Laurie softly from where she sat while she moved her game piece forward. Josh put his hand on her shoulder and smiled reassuringly. Even though he didn't **like **Kevin, Josh liked Laurie, and it bothered him a lot to see her so upset over the whole thing.

Megan spoke up next, tilting her head curiously with a sweet smile on that childish face. "I'm sure Miss Moonstar will know to do what's best, Laurie! She cares about all of the students—especially those in her squad." While Dallas didn't look as convinced as Pixie, he didn't voice his own opinion, merely choosing to roll the dice and continue with his turn in the game.

As for Noriko, she sighed audibly at the conversation going on behind her. She didn't exactly **like **Kevin, but he was a part of their squad—and Noriko had her own run-ins with the law and she preferred to avoid one that was unnecessary. If this meant giving Wither to the authorities willingly and without any conflict, she was game.

A chime echoing from the television about an emergency news broadcast caught her attention, eyes focusing back to the screen.

"**Breaking news!"**

"What the hell…?" she whispered, calling the others to join her to see the broadcast. They rushed over, soft mutters of confusion surrounding them until they caught sight of the news that was currently running.

"**A group of armed bank robbers are holding a group of people hostage. There seems to be a decent crowd of eldery, a child, and a couple of teenagers. Identities have not been released, but we are awaiting details on this terrible crime."**

It was then that Noriko caught the glimpse of the familiar image of Luka's Captain America messenger bag that he always took with him.

She gasped, jumping up. "That's Luka!"

Everyone in the room looked at her with wide eyes. It was silent in the room, mostly from the lingering feeling of surprise, until Megan gasped loudly in realization.

"Charlotte was the one who was supposed to go to the bank! Does that mean she's in there with Luka…?" The small, Welsh girl sounded simply horrified at the thought that her friend was trapped in a dangerous situation—even if she knew Charlotte could handle herself.

"What's goin' on guys?" asked Jay as he walked in. He wasn't one to usually join in on group activities, unless Charlotte was around, but the loud exclamations had caught his attention since he'd been on his way to fly around outside before it became too late and the F.B.I. began patrolling the grounds again that night. He'd wanted to just clear his mind from the scene with his brother earlier. The redhead was happier, yes, but he didn't want to dwell, either. So the Kentuckian male found himself shuffling into the Rec Room.

Megan, who he knew was Charlotte's roommate and another student in their flying class, was the one to quell his curiosity. "Charlotte and Luka went to a bank in town but it's getting robbed by these guys with guns!"

His shoulders tensed at her words. "Can I watch?" _**Please**__ tell me this is a joke or a damned mistake._

Noriko nodded in understanding, raising the volume. The news cameras couldn't seem to get a good enough view into the bank and were stuck outside monitoring the scene while the police and ambulances arrived and rushed into action in case anything were to happen. There was even an armored vehicle at the scene, which struck them as a bit odd to have at such notice.

The redhead bit the inside of his cheek, green eyes narrowing to concentrate on the screen as he tried to catch at least a glimpse of the strawberry blonde who was his squad mate. A deep chill was settling in his spine.

_Please be okay, Char…_

**Charlotte and Luka, September 22: Afternoon, Salem Center Bank**

The two mutants were hiding behind a desk they managed to dive behind while gunshots fired around them. Luka had been the one to initiate the firefight, standing up and pushing away the robber that had spotted him with a quick blast of an invisible force. He had grabbed Charlotte and pushed her behind the desk before he'd even made it. Now they were trapped behind the wooden piece of furniture while the now very angry criminals approached them with each moment that passed by.

Charlotte could almost **feel **the inklings of power beginning to tickle her fingertips. But she knew it would be too much of a risk to overshoot this sort of situation, so she was planning for the opportune moment to strike or fling out of cover. It seemed their extensive training that Julian forced the Hellions into was definitely about to pay off.

If she didn't mess up, that is.

"The **one **day I decide to come to the bank with you—and it gets robbed! I am never doing this again with you around!" It was hard to hear her over the gunshots and the wailing hostages that were diving about for their own piece of cover. The bank robbers seemed only intent on killing the two disruptors—which wasn't much of a comfort, but it did spare the poor innocents.

Luka scoffed, shifting in his position. "Look, it's not my fault this happened!" The blonde looked at the girl in consternation, chest heaving in adrenaline and panic. She was in pretty much the same state.

"I know. I just **hate **coincidence!"

Another blast of fire erupted much closer to them, making the two tense up. Luka threw his hand out as he popped out of cover and summoned enough gravitational force to knock out the offending criminal who had approached them silently by concentrating a decent amount of power to surround the man's head—effectively giving him one hell of a crippling migraine.

"**That **was impressive," she praised as he came back down to rest next to her, thankfully without a visible scratch on his person. He nodded in thanks and took a shuddering breath. That had been too much of a risk for comfort. The blonde could feel his heart now rattling in his chest and he was trying to pace his breathing until it was back to a decent pace lest he faint from panic.

"I'm going in, Luka. Cover me if you can."_ Well, that's not going to help the panic at all!_ There was an unreadable expression on the girl's freckled face, and it worried him. What could she be planning? She was empathic. From what Luka knew of her abilities, she had no idea how to do much else. Well, she was in flight class, but he'd never seen her actually fly and that wasn't really going to help in the current situation… "Just trust me. I can do this." _She's __**crazy**__—that must be it._

She hopped over the desk before he could even respond, his jaw hanging open from surprise and unspoken words. As soon as she moved out of cover, the bullets started flying toward her. But for some reason… they didn't **hit **her. With each impact, a sheen of golden light reflected off of some sort of surface that protected her in a wide arc. It seemed to be all around her, protecting her. The small girl opened her arms, the range seeming to widen around where Luka hid as well as most of the hostages that had scuttled off to the side behind the employee counters. She was protecting them with this… **barrier of light**.

It was shocking to the Russian mutant that she would continue to walk **toward** the robbers. She bore a determined look on her face, something that was never expected of Cheshire. The girl was all about calm and seizing the moment while having about twenty back up plans. But she was out of her element here—and she was doing well so far. She was adaptable. _It's no wonder Julian goes to her for secondary thoughts on his plans. She's the kind of person to know what to do during a situation. The problem is that she hates to lead—she hates being the one people look to because that's all people ever need an empath like her for…_

"This bitch is a mutie!" yelled one of the masked criminals, backing up now in fear of what was known as the **mutant menace**. Yes, the horrible monster portrayed in the media was a small, strawberry blonde that was currently projecting a light barrier. A grin made its way to the mentioned female's face, none of the warmth reaching her eyes.

"That's correct!"

The firing didn't **stop**, especially not now. She was the main target to take down. They weren't going to give up.

A giant orb of reflective prisms appeared around her at that moment, revealing that it had been the formed object deflecting their bullets. For a moment, the screams stopped, most of the people in awe at the golden light that radiated from the strange thing. But, if anything, it made the robbers even angrier, and they continued in their relentless attack.

"Get down!" called Charlotte to the hostages as the orb began to glow brighter than before. The hostages—and Luka—complied, ducking down and covering their heads, just as the girl had ordered.

Her arms moved to wrap themselves around her own body, as if her body were trying to appear smaller—or trying to force something back for as long as possible. The girl could feel the power practically pounding against her limits of control to just unleash it onto the criminals. The lights in the orb seemed to swarm about like currents of light, coiling around and speeding up to collect into a gathering of ethereal aura. The small whimpers that she'd never even realized were coming from her own lips began to sound disembodied from within the structure. And finally—the power broke free.

Not long after that, a brilliant golden light flooded the lobby of the bank, blinding everyone in the room and blocking out the view to the news cameras outside and those watching the feed from within the relative safety of their homes.

The orb had exploded outwards in a huge wave of concussive force, Charlotte right in the middle of it.

**September 22, The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning Rec Room**

The New Mutants, the Hellions, the Paragons, the Corsairs, Alpha Squadron, and the Chevaliers were all gathered in the now highly packed Rec Room, all watching the news as it was covered with little to no details concerning the status of their two classmates. It was difficult to not notice how many of them were panicking—many of them were pacing, shifting repetitively where they stood or sat, and some were very vocal in their state of mind.

"Where the **hell** is Cheshire?" grumbled Julian as he crossed his arms over his chest, glowering at the screen as if it were about to cause him bodily harm.

Noriko glared at him. "I'm worried about her too, but what about Luka? He's in there!"

"The Russian kid can handle himself. Charlotte is… small," mumbled Santo with a downhearted shrug of those boulders he called shoulders, "And her powers aren't meant for gunfire."

"That's true, man." Brian Cruz shifted nervously. Cessily was standing next to Kevin, partially glad that she couldn't really feel **chills** anymore, because she knew she would be feeling them out of sheer horror for her friend's safety. Kevin touched her shoulder, but she bit her lip and looked down.

Jay leaned back up from his position of leaning on the back of the couch. "Char will be fine. Ah know she will." It was a good thing that he sounded more confident than he felt at the moment.

"I hope you're right," whispered Julian, eyes returning to the screen.

A sudden golden light covered the screen, making a lot of the students in the room lean back in surprise and awe. **"A bright light has just blown through the bank. Some of the windows are shattered—and it seems the robbers have been knocked outside and are unconscious! The police have created a barricade, so we can't get much closer than this… but it's just astonishing! What could have happened here?"**

"Charlotte happened!" cheered Megan from her seat on the armrest of the couch. She looked positively ecstatic—jumping a bit in place, even. Despite the chill still very much in his gut, Jay found himself smiling a bit at her excitement. Those **were** Charlotte's powers. He'd seen them at work during training and flight classes. The question was if she took any damage while the barrier had exploded outward to knock out the robbers. If just **one **of them was still up, she'd be highly vulnerable to attack and it would not end well for her. It was that part of the whole thing that made him extremely nervous.

"Can she **really** do that? Wow…" Dallas whispered more to himself than to anyone in particular. His eyes were wide as they watched the aftermath of the golden explosion, soft aura of light still floating about in the random breeze.

"We're talking about Charlotte, but what about Luka? Is he okay?" voiced Noriko with an urgency that could be heard easily.

"Well, **we** don't know!" exclaimed Victor. "At this point, we know just as much as the news crew does, and who and what the two teens are."

Cessily spoke up then, sounding a bit timid but scared nonetheless. "I'm still really worried about Charlotte, guys. That looked **bad**."

"Why?" asked Sofia. She looked at the mercury-skinned girl, curious expression on her face where she stood between Laurie and Hope.

"An explosion like that only happens when her shield is destroyed. It throws everything back, for better or worse," explained Julian softly. For once, the leader of the Hellions did not look confident or egotistical—he looked **worried**.

Jay let his eyes move over the other people in the room. Each of them had somber expressions and some were even close to tears. He swallowed hard and forced his eyes to move back to the screen, a deep fear moving into his chest that he could only recall having felt before…

_Ah'm scared tha' she's hurt... or__** worse**__. Please, Charlotte, don' ya do this ta me. Ah can't handle losin' you too._

His grip on the back of the couch tightened as a lump formed in his throat.

**Luka Steinheil, September 22, Salem Center Bank**

"I can't believe it…" he whispered in awe while looking at the scene in front of him with widened eyes. It was a scene that the Russian male would never forget. All of the robbers had been knocked out by the blast, save the one he'd taken down himself. The windows were blown out, and papers as well as random bits were tossed haphazardly about. It was as if a bomb went off, but without any combustion and only with force.

All of the hostages were safe where they had been hiding. The security guard had his wound wrapped tightly in a tourniquet before he might have bled out. Luka was still pretty much ducked behind the desk they'd previously been using for cover just in case if any other shots were fired. He couldn't see his fellow mutant anywhere, though, and it worried him.

The golden orb was gone. Had that been the reason behind the explosion? If that was the case—where could Charlotte be?

Luka jumped out of cover. "Charlotte!"

An overturned plank of cardboard—most likely from a tack board—was flipped over, and Charlotte stood on shaky legs to look at him with a gleeful (albeit tired) expression. "Present and fit for duty."

Her jeans had a bit of dirt on them from the explosion, but she looked unharmed, which was the most important thing.

With a quick look around, the two noticed the mixed expressions on the faces of those they had just saved from the bank robbers. Some were certainly thankful, tears in their eyes but smiles on their faces out of pure relief. Others, however, looked at them in absolute distrust—they had been saved by **mutants**. Luka scoffed under his breath.

_We __**saved**__ these people! How can they still look at us as if he we belong in a lab?_

Charlotte's had on his arm brought him back to reality and tore him away from all the anger that was forming in his emotions. The small girl was helping him, still assisting, even after all the power she had just used up.

"You're more of a hero than you think you are."

He was offered another tired smile and a shrug of her shoulders. "You can keep telling yourself that, if you have to. I know I'm no hero—but I can't be the person to sit around while others are in certain danger, either. There's a difference."

She looked at the hostages, expression hardening. "I think we should go. That is, unless you want to be turned into the authorities by the very people we just rescued? I'd prefer to avoid the irony—and the lecture Mr. Summers will give us."

A rueful laugh escaped him before he managed to give his fellow mutant a tight nod. As they turned away, a tug on his messenger bag stopped him, and he looked down to see the boy with the Iron Man bag from before staring up at him with wide eyes. "What's up, kid?"

The freckled teen turned around then as well.

"Are you two heroes like Iron Man?" His tone was practically pure idolization. It brought a somewhat sad smile to Charlotte's face before she returned to having that grin once again. "We're not actually…"

Luka interrupted her, laughing. "Of course we're heroes! We saved the day, didn't we?" The small child grinned and just looked so **ecstatic** toward the fact that he'd seen actual **superheroes** fighting crime right in front of his own eyes that Charlotte couldn't even bring herself to chastise Luka for acting the way he was and **lying** to a child about their outward professions. They were, in all honesty, **students**—not **heroes**.

Most of the hostages seemed to relax when the child seemed safe in the presence of such horrid creatures like the two teenagers who'd selflessly saved their lives. The tension in the air seemed to lighten a lot—and Charlotte's tenseness seemed to lessen greatly because of it.

Then a strong roar of an engine broke through the relative calm. Adrenaline flooded her veins as power poured through her core to her fingertips before she wrapped Luka and the child in a barrier just in time to protect them from the charging armored truck that crashed through the front wall of the bank, rubble and glass flying everywhere. She could feel the shards of glass cutting into her jeans and the sting on her cheeks. The small female jumped back in panic, falling on her backside amongst the leftover rubble while the poor hostages screamed and scrambled back into cover. She threw her backpack to the ground to hopefully drop the extra weight given the dire situation. "Get the kid back into cover, Luka!"

It proved to be a bit of a challenge to stand easily, Charlotte realized. But she was frustrated with all of the danger these idiotic criminals were exposing the poor civilians to—so she'd had enough. Anger of her own accord (mixed with the rerouted panic of the hostages and the determination pulsing through Luka) fueled her powers now. She could** do** something about this.

On the Russian's end, he grabbed the child as instructed, ducking back behind the desk and making sure that he was still inside of Charlotte's protective shields. He was impressed by the child; he wasn't wailing or even crying, but he was clinging to the older boy like a lifeline. A powerful emotion welled up in his chest and he could only recognize it was pride in himself and this boy.

A man stuck his head out of the vehicle's window, and he looked **really** angry. "All those months of planning, down the drain. You damned mutants ruin everything!"

The little female standing in front of the truck sighed before she shot the man a glare and subconsciously flexed her fingers. "**We're** the ones ruining everything?" _I came here to cash a check from my mom. It's not really my fault that you decided to rob a bank today and that I just so happened to be here with Mr. I-Want-To-Be-A-Hero. This wasn't exactly written in my daily planner or anything._

"Shut up, you bitch!"

He pulled out a gun then, aiming right at her head. Only a flash of fear crossed her face. She was almost sure that she could form a strong enough barrier before he gained enough courage to pull the trigger—almost. If only she could knock that horrid image of her brains splattered one the floor out of her head enough to concentrate…

But before that even had to happen, the barrel of the gun began to warp in on itself. Luka appeared by her side then since he had taken the little boy back to his grandmother. His gravity-based powers used sheer force to crush the barrel of the gun in its own sort of orbit—which meant that it would warp in on itself like a miniature black hole. "Don't even think about threatening her, you lowlife!"

It seemed the leader of the robbers hadn't been expecting that outcome for his masterfully thought up plan of shooting the girl in the head at relatively close range. His jaw was nearly hitting the floor in surprise. Charlotte Price took advantage of the man's distracted state, forming a small golden ball of what looked like pure energy in her palm, the light becoming brighter the more she concentrated.

She tossed the small orb under the front of the armored vehicle. At first, nothing seemed to happen, and Luka gazed at her in his peripheral vision with a confused look. The girl didn't seem to notice the stare she was given, but the smile on her face grew.

A powerful burst of force seemed to strike the vehicle as light exploded from the tiny ball she had thrown just a moment before. It knocked the heavy machine all the way back and onto its side, effectively knocking out the driver in the process.

The entire area was just silent. Outside, all of the news crews could be seen with shocked expressions on their faces as they stared at the flipped over truck that they had previously believed to be part of the squad that arrived with the police and emergency ambulances. Even the cops were at a loss of what they could possibly do now—considering the situation had somehow worked itself out without them even having to fire a shot or get into the fray. _Well, lucky them! It sure is nice to have the dutiful police force on our side…_

Inside, it was a chorus of cheers and moist thanks as the two teens were given hugs and handshakes and even offered gifts in thanks (which Luka had to remind Charlotte not to accept—as they were heroes and not in it for monetary gain—and she huffed in annoyance, mumbling about not being able to afford that new game at the rate she was going). But, in reality, the girl was as content as could be as she was bathed in praise. And on receiving a hug from the small boy, she felt tears begin to prickle at her eyes, and she had to fight the lump in her throat while she hugged him back just as tightly.

"Right—well, these superheroes do need to go now," she finally said with more than a little reluctance in her voice.

"Do we have to?" She expected that to be from the child, but it came from Luka. It made her laugh softly as she linked her arm with his. "Yeah, we kind of **do**, Luka. Unless you want to be on the next news feed so we can be famous."

"How is that something I wouldn't want?"

"Two words, my friend: Headmaster and Summers," she counted off on her thumb and index finger. Luka swallowed hard, now dragging her along behind him. _I know I'm probably already going to have an interrogation party waiting for me. How many other mutants in Salem Center use light barriers that explode under heavy fire and pressure who just so happened to have to go to the same bank I said I'd be going to today? _

He cleared his throat. "We should go."

"Before this situation gets even **worse**, you mean."

All he did was nod, and Charlotte had to bite back the bubbling giggles that started forming in her chest while he began to drag her away by the arm to exit through a hole in the front of the building over glass and concrete and other random objects.

Feeling the sun on their faces made them slow down just a bit. Despite all of the dust in the air and the sound of sirens so close by—the teens found themselves smiling. She was so **tired** and he was just nervous about possibly being caught by the headmaster, but it was a good feeling overall.

They had both done something to help that day, and they would never ever forget the feeling of being thanked by those they had managed to protect. There was damage to the bank, sure, but that was physical. Nothing could replace saving a group of peoples' lives. They felt good about what they had done, and to them, that was enough.

It wasn't until their feet were free of the crunch of rubble beneath them that Charlotte gasped loudly and smacked her palm to her forehead. "I forgot to cash the check…"

"I don't think that actually matters right now, Charlotte."

She nodded hesitantly, adjusting her somewhat tattered backpack with an uncomfortable scowl on her face. Her body felt sore all over, and the kind of familiar (but forever as annoying as a paper cut) stinging from small cuts were on her arms, legs, and cheeks.

Thin arms crossed over her chest, and she looked at her blonde comrade from the corner of her eye and sighed. "We're **not** X-Men," she noted, recalling his daring statement from before when the robbers had entered the bank for the first time. They were only students in a school—a school that was teaching them to control their powers so they could live in regular society without being discriminated more than they already were. At least, that was what she kept telling herself whenever she put on her Hellions squad uniform and participated in group missions in the Danger Room. She could never convince herself that those words were the simple truth.

At the way Luka's face fell in disappointment to her words, she almost regretted saying them. The guy really wanted to be a hero in order to make a difference in the world. It was no small rumor that Luka believed in justice and the whole charade of **good versus evil** to the end. Charlotte was more of the **shades of grey** kind of person, the kind that never judged someone by their actions. She defended herself and others when she had to, but had no actual standing for good or evil.

If someone was doing something they believed in, but someone considered it wrong, who would be the hero and who would be considered the villain? It all depended on what side you were on. Media and literature blurred those lines more than humans could sometimes. That didn't mean she couldn't understand the interest of seeing both the apparent good and evil in the world.

So she tried to fix the situation a bit, even if she didn't exactly believe it. "Not yet, anyway…"

The cheerful grin on his face and the sudden skip to his step made the little fib more than worth it, she mused as they began to laugh because the adrenaline finally wore off to that feeling of victory.

**September 22: Saturday Evening, The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning**

They hadn't been expecting a crowd when they returned from their **adventure **in the city, and it actually caught them completely off guard when they saw the saddened expressions on the faces of their many colleagues. Charlotte nearly reeled back and would have turned to walk back the way she came because of the sheer force of emotions that flew over her as soon as she got into proximity. It was **horrible**.

Yellow anxiety, red anger, greys and blacks of despair all absorbed the empathic teenager by storm.

The sky had become full of grey clouds on their walk back to the institute from the Salem Center bank, and it was deemed fitting for the somber energy pulsing through the school. She hated the feelings now moving through her mind. Just a moment ago, she'd been feeling absolute victory and pride. Now, however, all she could feel was negativity. And Luka was no longer there next to her in order to soften the blow with his own emotions. He'd rushed ahead to aid Noriko as she was there looking just as sad as the rest of the New Mutants. What had happened while they were gone?

"What's going on…?"

Her mouth felt dry and her palms felt clammy. She was feeling nervousness, albeit not only of her own accord. That probably just made the feeling worse.

That was when she saw it: the F.B.I. agent Justin Pierce was guiding Kevin—in **handcuffs**—out of the school and toward the awaiting car to take him into custody. A heat bubbled up in her stomach, and her fists clenched at her sides. Only one person could have ultimately decided to agree to Kevin being arrested and taken away from the only place where he would be safe from unfair persecution.

She was standing right there next to Headmaster Summers and Headmistress Frost with a downhearted expression on her face that Charlotte did not believe for a minute. The woman wasn't feeling actual **guilt** for condemning one of her students to the will of the law—because he was deemed **dangerous **in her eyes. He needed to be dealt with officially. Dani couldn't even look at Kevin in the given moment as she was upset with herself, even if she was sure that this was definitely the better option.

Not everyone shared her opinion, and she knew it. Emma was one of them. She could feel the other telepath's upset glare being aimed toward Agent Pierce.

The brunette mutant seemed somewhat surprised to his freckled friend there at that exact moment, and offered her a sad smile as if to say "I know you tried to help me feel better". Charlotte actually felt a lump forming in her throat for the second time that day. Kevin didn't deserve this. In fact, no one did.

_He's as much a victim as that little boy was. Except for the fact that I can't save Kevin right now because I know the consequences…_

While Luka was comforting Noriko, the rest of the New Mutants (save for Josh) were looking down, visibly upset about what was happening. Cessily looked absolutely torn apart while Julian had an arm wrapped around her shoulders like a big brother would, and it showed in his saddened expression.

In retrospect, the Hellions looked more upset than the New Mutants did, and Charlotte could not even begin to comprehend how it could be possible. He was their **teammate**, not just a friend, but a companion in their most weakened moments. They **never **helped him feel like he fit in with them because Dani never allowed him to feel as if he could belong anywhere after the **accident**. So he lost control **once**, doesn't every mutant at least one time in each of their lives? Was he different from everyone else who might make a mistake just because his powers were volatile? It shouldn't matter what one's power is, so long as they're happy. He's not **evil**—he's Kevin! If that boy was evil, then her plush lamb was Satan spawn for sure.

Her eyes followed the mutant being led by the federal agent, expression shocked. Those legs that had been working before to jump about and protect innocents now felt as if they were made of cement and her mind would not let her move forward to help. A large part of the strawberry blonde knew it would be wrong (not to mention, illegal) to even try and stop Agent Pierce from arresting her friend, but an only slightly smaller part was just about ready to grab Kevin and protect him just like she'd protected that little boy back in the city.

A **whimper** actually escaped her. "No—Kevin," she muttered, reaching a hand out toward the brunette male. The rest of her words died at her lips. What else could she really say?

She didn't **want** to be angry with Danielle; it wasn't productive or useful to be in such an improper state at such a drastic time—but she definitely was.

As soon as Kevin's head disappeared into the car, and the door was closed, she turned on her heel and began a resolute march toward the dark-haired illusionist. The closer she got to Miss Moonstar, however, the less angry her expression became. All of the emotions that had been taking over the freckled teenager began to mold together to form a mass of pure muddled hopelessness that she couldn't even drag herself out from without the help of a really powerful positive—which there was a definite lack of in the vicinity.

"You did this," she accused, looking up at the young teacher. "How could you do this to him? He trusted you to protect him and you threw him into the fire!"

"Miss Price, don't you dare speak to Danielle like that…" began Scott Summers as he took a step toward Charlotte, prepared to reprimand. He was more than ready to stave off a violent burst from the young mutant, but didn't expect it from her, so he held back for the moment.

Emma stepped in then, placing her hand on Charlotte's cherry blonde hair and gently soothing down the lightly curled and tussled locks with care while she send soothing mental waves. "I have to agree with Charlotte's little outburst, Danielle. You might have just condemned young Mr. Ford to incarceration."

"I… I thought he'd have a better chance if he came quietly instead of being forced."

The young girl spoke up once again; definitely calmer than she was a moment ago. "Even so, he was forced into it anyway—just not in the way you'd think. If he **does** manage to be released from those stupid charges, he won't be the same. Because of your choice, Kevin might never be back to the way he was. We just don't know if that's a good or bad thing yet."

The White Queen looked stricken by those words. She sighed and guided the small female away from the other two faculty members, hoping that it would calm her down if she wasn't staring directly at her point of anger. "You've had quite a long day." _Well, she definitely knows. "I do, Charlotte, but I won't be the one telling Scott."_

"Whatever happens to Kevin, dear, we'll help him. I know the Hellions will be right on call for Kevin. Right, Cessily?"

Charlotte then noticed that she had been calmly guided to her assembled teammates. Even if it was only Julian and Cessily, it was a heap of comfort. Mercury let out a quick sob and ran forward to embrace the empath tightly, a whole new wave of negative emotions flooding her once again. There was absolute fear lacing the sadness that Charlotte found strange. It wasn't a foreboding sort of fear as if she were afraid of Kevin's fate (that was there as well, but a stronger fear was currently taking over the one for Kevin), but a sense of fear that had recently been relieved.

"We'll be inside if you need us, students. Behave," warned Scott as he began to walk back into the school with Emma and Dani. All of the students merely gave noises of agreement or shuffled awkwardly where they stood—not really able to voice anything.

Julian spoke only when the teachers were out of sight. "We know about what happened at the bank, Cheshire. What the hell **happened**?" Over the tone of slight consternation, there was worry and even fear for his squad mate. He was the leader of the Hellions after all, and that meant he was responsible for those in his squad. That also meant that he worried about them despite his haughty attitude toward other people.

She was silent for a long moment. From what she could see over Cessily's shoulder, Luka was receiving pretty much the same treatment (if a little softer, considering most of the teammates of his present were female save for Foley, who generally got along with the gravity-manipulator). She was then pulled into a strong hug by Julian, who put his hand on the back of her head and quickly rested his head on her shoulder for a quick moment before stepping away with a haunted look in his eyes.

Even in that brief embrace, she'd felt the worry he had for her. Despite all of their disagreements and clashing ideals—Julian cared about her as if she was a part of his family. He felt that way for his entire team. The Hellions were important to Julian because they were his second family.

But instead of speaking about what had happened at the bank, a chilling situation she knew she'd never forget any time soon, she merely shrugged her tense shoulders. "It's not important right now, not compared to what just happened to Kevin."

The leader of the Hellions nodded, both hands grabbing onto her shoulders and squeezing them comfortingly. He looked at the two females that belonged to his team for a very long moment, as if he was thinking about something. Charlotte sensed a strong feeling of hesitation in him, as if what he was thinking about could definitely put them all in danger—and if it was worth risking it. In the end, he seemed to think it was, because he smiled and released her shoulders. "We're having a meeting in half an hour. Let the others know, Cess."

"What do you mean, Julian?"

"What are you planning now?" asked Charlotte as she crossed her arms somewhat painfully over her chest. She was going to be very sore later.

His tone was resolute. "We're getting Kevin back, no matter what we have to do."

**Remember, if you want to keep up with updates or just have some fun asking the characters questions or whatever—be sure to follow "The Price of Loyalty" blog on Tumblr.**

**thepriceof [dot] tumblr [dot] com.**


	6. Chapter 6: Surrender

Chapter Six: Surrender

_**Author's Note: **__First off, I would like to apologize for the extreme gap between the last chapter being posted and this one. A lot of things took over and distracted me from typing. This included Mass Effect 3, writer's block, some emotional drama, and other random factors. You can feel assured that in having my muse back, these chapters will be coming out at a more decent pace. I thank those of you who have been patient and understanding with this, and I hope you enjoy this chapter very much. I've already started on the next one. _

_This is the sixth chapter of Loyalty. There only remains four more after this, unfortunately. Fortunately, however, that only means the arc is over. The title for the next segment will be revealed at the end of chapter ten. So there's that to look forward to when this is over. A lot of problems are going to rise for the students and faculty alike in these final chapters, and not all of them are going to be answered until much later. But everything will be handled. I assure you. _

_Now, I'm going to stop ranting and allow to you enjoy this long awaited chapter. Thank you, readers, for sticking with me. I adore each and every one of you. _

"What is family? They were the people who claimed you. In good, in bad, in parts or in whole, they were the ones who showed up, who stayed in there, regardless. It wasn't about blood relations or shared chromosomes, but something wider, bigger. We had many families over time. Our family of origin, the family we created, and the groups you moved through while all of this was happening: friends, lovers, sometimes even strangers. None of them perfect, and we couldn't expect them to be. You can't make any one person your world. The trick was to take what each could give you and build your world from it."

-**Sarah Dessen, **_**Lock and Key**_

**The Hellions Squad, September 22: Evening, The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning**

"This is **insane**. We can' do this!" protested Jay. He had crossed his arms with an audible huff, staring down the rest of his squad. The Hellions were gathered in one of the spare classrooms where they usually held their meetings. It was a decently safe bet to guess that Icarus did not agree with Julian on his want to assist Kevin from being sent to prison.

But the leader of the Hellions wasn't so easy put off from his goals. "We **can**. And we **will**. Anyone have a **problem** with that?" He was more than willing to have a stare down with the winged mutant. In fact, some could have argued that he'd **welcome** one. Ever since the red-haired Guthrie joined** his **squad, Hellion had noticed that the other never seemed to want to agree with his plans. Charlotte's ideas seemed welcome. He took a moment to look at the expression on each of the Hellions' faces. Most of them seemed to agree.

Brian was the first to say something regarding his choice. "Right there with you, boss."

"You know I don't," chimed in Cessily, expression somber. In retrospect, the mutant girl was probably taking his arrest the hardest. She obviously cared about Kevin as more than a friend—even a good friend—and it was most likely heart-wrenching for her to have to deal with the possibility of such a dear person being unfairly incarcerated for a misunderstanding.

"As always, Hellion." That had been Santo, face actually serious as he regarded the squad leader resolutely by using his codename rather than his real name. This was a serious matter.

Charlotte remained quiet for a moment. The air around the rebellious squad was tense. It reminded her of the same air that had been around the New Mutants when they'd lost the first challenge of Field Day, and it made her uncomfortable. As she was about to speak up, however, Sooraya beat her to the punch—for which she was slightly thankful.

"I was told that you are our field leader. That means I will **follow** you even if I disagree." By the tone of her voice, Dust seemed to disagree **a lot**.

"Sooraya, ya really don' have ta…" Jay's tone held a little bit of shock underneath the obvious displeasure at her simple admittance to side with Julian. In the Southerner's eyes, their leader was **wrong**, and any other person he could have on his side was a blessing. But it just wasn't that simple.

The covered female turned her serene gaze toward him. "Yes, I do." She sounded so **resolute**, so willing, that it almost humbled the freckled Hellions squad member. If Sooraya could be so ready to act even when she disagreed with Julian's notions, why couldn't Charlotte **think **about her opinion without getting a heavy feeling in her gut?

Charlotte could only **wish** to bear half of the calming attitude Sooraya Qadir seemed to possess.

To an empath like Cheshire, the differing sides were like two sides of a coin. They were obvious to see and very close together in the enclosed space. While both sides had their points… they also had their obvious sour notes too.

"Well, Ah don't. Count me **out**." The young Guthrie's voice was, if anything, a bit snippy. It was clear that seeing how the majority ruled hadn't been pleasing to him. Unfortunately, there was still one voice among them that had yet to be accounted for, and she wanted to remain invisible. As Sooraya turned her gaze toward Charlotte to inquire about the shorter girl's own thoughts, the sound of Jay opening the door quickly grabbed everyone's attention before anything could occur. Julian reached out toward the winged boy, codename being muttered as a sort of plea for understanding. How could Jay disagree with the rest of the squad so easily? Weren't they a **team**? Julian didn't understand. Icarus was supposed to have his back!

"Let him go boss." Brian glared at the back of Jay's head as the redhead exited the room. "We can handle this." And then Icarus was gone—out into the hallway.

Thinking the argumentative Jay Guthrie was out of earshot, Julian smirked a bit, seemingly over the small argument he had. They didn't really **need** Icarus. "Maybe. But I know where we can pick up some extra **firepower**."

Cheshire stood then. "Hold that thought," she quipped. "I'll… be right back." This had been said while she began to make her way to the door and into the hall that Jay had exited to just a short moment ago.

"Right," hummed Julian, "Try to convince the **bird** that what he's doing is wrong. You'd expect that kind of crap from a New Mutant. Remind him that he's a Hellion."

The given smile did not reach her eyes. "… Understood."

It came as quite the shock to see Jay hadn't gone very far at all since he left the room. He had been able to hear everything Julian said after the dramatic exit. While Charlotte knew she did no wrong in that time period, she felt guilty for their leader's rudeness, nonetheless.

She shut the door behind her, ushering the Kentuckian further down the hall so that their voices wouldn't be easily picked up by the rest of their squad. After all, she'd rather avoid even more of an incident if she could help it. Something told her that she wouldn't be able to deter such an occurrence with what she planned on saying to her dear friend next.

"I agree with Julian."

To his credit, he actually might have looked calmer than he felt—and that was something. "O' all the people Ah'd think would be agains' him… it was you, Char." To say that he looked at her with a heavily disappointed expression would be putting it nicely. Jay looked upset, surely, but he also looked defeated. He'd honestly expected his best friend to side with him in this situation. For just a moment, Charlotte felt a pang of guilt all her own that mixed with the wave of red anger and deep sadness she felt emanating from him. It was horrible.

As she looked away from the scrutinizing gaze, the girl bit the inside of her cheek. "I won't lie and say that I'm sorry, because I'm not. What they're trying to do to Kevin is wrong. He doesn't deserve it. No one does, I think."

He swallowed hard. She heard it. "Ah… Ah saw the news. Ya don' know how **worried **Ah was. And then seein' yer powers at work…" Jay couldn't really finish his sentences; not with the slight panic that settled inside of him. Why was he so horrified at mere past memories of the news broadcast? She'd survived just fine and was right there in front of him, perfectly living and strong and…

Bringing his weathered fingertip to gently brush a fresh cut on her cheek, Jay sighed. "It was somethin', Char," he whispered. Something seemed to change in her expression then. Her eyes widened slightly and shot up to meet his. It was as if she knew something he didn't. Knowing her powers, though, she probably did. He tried to form a small smile for her. "Ya really had me worried."

It was a bit surprising when her hand gripped lightly at his wrist. The warmth was nice, and the contrast of those dainty fingers was charming. She gave him a smile as well. However, hers seemed to straddle the line between warm and sad. "Please don't change the subject," she said in a whisper as she removed his hand from her face, lowering it back down to his side. Her hand slipped away from his wrist. It seemed much colder than before. Those turquoise eyes never left his—not matter how sad they had begun to appear. "You're sure that siding with Julian is a mistake?"

After those words, it was his turn to look away from her stare. "Ah'm not gonna get myself **arrested**—or worse—because Julian thinks he should fight for mutant rights. Maybe Kevin will get a fair trial. No one knows for sure. Who are we ta think we can jus' take the law into our own hands?" He took a breath to calm himself. It wouldn't do either of them any good if he got riled up. She'd feel it too. "We're supposed ta be provin' tha' mutants are equal ta humans, not twistin' up the law for our own benefits."

Of course the words made sense to her. Jay had a good point, after all. But seeing all of the unfairness now pointed to mutants everywhere made it difficult for her to accept the point he made. She knew that no matter what she could say to explain her own side of the spectrum, Jay would not see her own brand of reason. There was only his own. "So we're on different sides, it seems."

Icarus scoffed, eyes glaring down at her. "How can ya jus' push aside wha' happened ta you no' even hours ago as if it never happened, Char? You could have **died**!" his voice rose in anger, frustration, disbelief, worry—and who knew what else. "Ah stood there, scared outta my **wits**, thinking tha' you weren' comin' back!" His jaw became set while his fists clenched tightly. How was she able to put such a stupid situation before her own brush with death? He couldn't understand it at all. Many of the things Charlotte did never made sense to him, but this was just **stupid**.

"I'm fine. Worrying is only making you angrier."

"**You're** makin' me angry, Charlotte! Instead of listenin' to Julian an' his damn crusade ta save someone who migh' no' even **need** savin', you should be restin'. Why are you doin' this?"

His teammate took a step back, as if moving away from the being pouring emotions would lessen the feeling of them invading her subconscious. She looked down and then closed her eyes with a long sigh that seemed directed toward summoning nerves rather than annoyance at his behavior. At least that was what he thought.

"Why? Why do you act like you **care**? When I met you, you were nothing but a mess of depression and anger. Now, though, you stand there and preach about righteousness of the law and how worried you are for my own safety. Don't you realize that it doesn't matter how **I **feel?" Her voice had begun to rise just a bit with each word. "All that matters are the feelings of others. I can sense that. Therefore, isn't it obvious that the empath knows everything and is an expert on the emotions of others as well as their own?"

"No."

If she was surprised at his answer, she made no indication of it. So he began to elaborate. "Ah don't expect you ta be an expert on **anythin'**! Tha' is jus' unfair ta you as a human bein'." Jay chewed on his lip for a moment before continuing. "But Ah can' help ya if tha's wha' you want to believe. The only people who can honestly make you change yer mind is yerself… and apparently Julian." That was a low blow, he knew, but the snap came out of him before he could rein it like a startled horse.

"Do whatever you want, Char, but don' think Ah'm lettin' him get away with whatever he's plannin'."

With that said, Jay turned and began to walk further down the hall. Charlotte didn't stay there long enough to see if he had turned the corner or not. She barely remained at that spot after he had turned away from her—effectively saying that he'd made his point and there was nothing left to say between them. To see him disregard her because of her own apparent ignorance was disorienting. It was also very upsetting. Cheshire turned around and quickly walked back to where the door to the meeting room was, opening it quickly and practically stumbling in as a result.

_What if there is some truth to his words? Is there really more to being an empathic being than just regarding the emotions of others over my own? Do my feelings really matter even if no one asks about them—save for Jay? Does that just mean that he genuinely cares, though? _

She looked at Julian, who turned to her with a questioning glance. "So what did the guy say?" He had said "**the guy**", not Jay or Icarus, which meant that Julian was pretty clear on the answer already. At that moment, Charlotte felt a surge of anger toward her leader. She wanted to scream "you have no right" or "leave him out of this", anything that might defend the only person who seemed to honestly take her feelings into account. But she couldn't.

… _Am I wrong in following Julian down this path? _

Half of her mind was fighting to just start crying right there. There was already a lump in her throat from the heavy emotions now moving through her. The strange thing was that those feelings were all her own, not from anyone in the room. They were generally calm knowing that they were going to do something to help Kevin. Why did Jay walking away from her hurt so much? Should she have followed the winged male and sided with him?

_No. This is my path. It isn't influenced by Julian in the least! _

"He's… not on board with the plan, it seems. I suggest we find that extra firepower you spoke about," breathed Charlotte, tone somber. Jay's voice was repeating in her mind over and over. If her obviously upset state was noticed by the squad leader, he made no indication of it.

"I'm thinking that we should wait a bit—at least until tensions around the place settle down. That way, people can sort out their feelings about this whole mess." He stuffed his hands into the front pockets of his jeans, leaning back against the wall. "Then, we'll bring Kevin back and everyone will look at us as heroes. Being an X-Man is about defending the people, mutants especially. If we don't at least **try **to help him, what kind of mutants are we?"

No one answered. It was clear that leaving Kevin to whatever fate awaited him was cowardly. And in retrospect, Julian just called Jay a coward. Charlotte had to clench her jaw at the thought.

"We'll go ask Sofia for help tomorrow night. Then, the next morning, we'll suit up and head out before they leave the city."

It seemed like a good enough plan when it was laid out in the open like that. Find Kevin, retrieve him, and then bring him back home. _But something always goes wrong in situations like these, doesn't it?_

_There's always one aspect that makes the entire plan go to hell in a hand basket—and the so-called heroes are left to deal with unforeseen consequences. I can't see what that is, though, and that's what concerns me most of all._

**Headmaster's Office, September 23: Morning, Xavier Institute for Higher Learning**

There always seemed to be a sense of foreboding whenever someone sat down in Headmaster Summers's office. That could be because no one was usually called in unless they were in a heap of trouble that they had no chance to dig themselves out of. On that day, Luka and Charlotte were seated in those hot seats, and it was just as unpleasant to be there as it would be to any other student. But perhaps, given the situation, it was even more frightening.

"Mr. Steinheil. Ms. Price. Just in case you're not clear on the reason for your being here, I'm going to elaborate," explained Scott Summers, face set in a stern tenseness. It wasn't really anything out of the ordinary. "You used your powers in front of a bunch of humans to stop a bank robbery that had quickly turned into a dire hostage situation. However, Charlotte's abilities were captured on camera."

Charlotte tensed in her seat next to Luka. It was one thing to have stood up to the criminals at the bank without any apparent worry of her life, and another altogether to have possibly been revealed as a mutant on television. However, Cyclops's words gave her a semblance of hope. He had said that only her abilities had been caught on camera, not her. For just a small moment, Charlotte felt a pang of envy hit her. Luka's powers were invisible, which meant even if he had used them in the camera's view; he would still have had a chance to not be spotted as the user. It just seemed unfair.

"The only reason she used her powers at all was to protect innocents, dear," chimed in Emma Frost with a tiny smile tugging at the corner of her lips, "You can't punish the girl for using her gifts for the reasons we've taught. She did the right thing in the circumstance she was given." If the freckled girl didn't know any better, she would have seen that her advisor looked **proud**. In truth, the look on her face was one of **smugness**. She knew she was right.

The conversation was already over, in Charlotte's opinion.

The White Queen's gaze shot in her direction for the smallest of moments. "They acted as X-Men should; defending humanity with the abilities they've been given. We help those who are in need of it from any threatening force." She moved to stand behind Scott, placing a hand on his shoulder to initiate understanding by contact. That gesture was to show that while their opinions were different, they were still in this together. "That is what X-Men do."

Luka's expression could only be one of joy. After all, he had essentially just been called an X-Man by the headmistress of the school. A smile split his face while he sat up a hair straighter in his seat, looking to his fellow teen with an expectant look—as if thinking she'd be just as excited as he was. But Charlotte just sat there silently, watching the headmaster and headmistress with a far off expression. It was obvious to see that she was thinking about something pertaining to those words. They had set something off in her mind, and the Russian teenager was too excited to even bother asking what.

In truth, she did not see herself ever becoming an X-Man. It didn't interest her. Of course she wanted to help people and learn control, but she also knew that being a caped crusader (especially one that worked outside of the military, unlike the Avengers) was not as glamorous a profession as one would be led to believe. A lot of people were nervous around those with superpowers. If you weren't working for the military and therefore could be taken care of, you were apparently an accident waiting to happen in the public's eye. Mutants were, basically, just that. They were a group of unknowns that the government could not contain easily. So, the populace was terrified of what they could do if something were to happen.

With mutants like those belonging to the Brotherhood running around, it was no surprise as to why this prediction was so easy to believe. Politicians like Senator Kelly also added gasoline to the fire, and did all they could to make sure that these mutants were the only ones the public would know about. It didn't matter if one mutant saved a family somewhere when this other mutant attacked a woman at the market with his uncontrollable abilities.

All of this moved through Charlotte's mind during the relatively calm moment that passed among the four in the room as Emma and Scott discuss possible punishments. Luka, as expected, was almost jumping out of his seat at his behavior having been compared to that of the X-Men. She didn't care about any of that. The point was to help the civilians.

An image of the young boy flashed through her mind. _We should help people because there could be a chance to see more people like him. Not everyone hates super humans. Sure, a lot of them are threateningly wary, but not all of them…_

She silently wondered if every mutant who didn't despise humans thought this sort of thing at least once every day in order to keep their wits about them. It was hard to do so when nearly every news coverage or article in the newspaper was anti-mutant or anti-super human. And then, it was a whole other thing when the two supers conflicted. Even being outcasts, they argued with each other rather than working together to prove others wrong. The whole entire situation was a mess, she thought, and it was the sort of mess that could only get worse.

Headmaster Summers's voice knocked her out of her thoughts. "We've decided not to give you any punishments, due to the fact that there wasn't much else you could have done then besides hide away, and that's not what we teach you to do here. You acted as expected, and your identities weren't revealed to the public. Things could have gone much worse than they did."

_Well, yeah, we could have __**died**__, instead. That would have been worse than being revealed to the public—but only by a small margin. _

For one thing, the tenseness of the air in the room seemed to lessen afterward. Since they weren't in trouble, there was nothing to worry about. And the both of them would remain out of trouble so long as Charlotte fought to keep any thoughts of what Julian was planning out of the forefront of her mind. It led to some doubt in the girl, mainly concerning as to why she felt it was necessary to hide the knowledge from her advisor if what they were planning was the right thing to do. Besides the littlest twitch of her fingers on the armrest, the thought was left at the back of her mind for another time.

Once again, Emma took the lead. "I think that's everything that needed to be discussed. The both of you are dismissed. Enjoy the rest of your day." The smile the two teenagers received from the former White Queen of the Hellfire Club was one of kind understanding. While she had once been a known enemy of the X-Men, she had also been the teacher of a bunch of students—another group called the Hellions—who had either died or disbanded. So it was not really a mistake to consider the possibility that she was reliving that experience through her new Hellions, and had quite a soft spot for all of them.

Julian did tend to sometimes take advantage of this.

The two younger mutants took their leave then, Luka allowing the strawberry blonde to stand and make space for him to do the same. He then followed suit, making sure to grab the door as she opened it so she could exit first. Once outside, he shut the door behind him and looked to his companion, who looked like there was still something on her mind. Why did she still look so upset if they were off the hook?

He spoke up only after they began walking down the hall, voice quiet. "Usually, someone who **is **in trouble looks like you do now. What's wrong?" With a good-natured shrug, Luka stuck his hands into his jean pockets, quirking his brow at her.

Actually, the question came as a surprise. Had she really allowed herself to be so expressive in her worried state? Charlotte trusted Luka—she was able to sense that he was honest in his concern for how she was feeling. In a way, she knew that their experience at the bank had somehow formed a bond between them. He was probably acting on that established link. The concern was true, though. But Charlotte knew Luka. He would disagree with Julian's plan to help Kevin because the Russian wanted to be a hero through and through. That meant he wanted to work **with **the laws established, not against them if the situation called for it.

This meant that he would never go along with her team leader's plan to rescue their fellow apprehended mutant from the authorities. So she couldn't tell him even if she had wanted to—and that was more than enough reassurance. Was this another factor to add which showed that Julian may be wrong? Charlotte didn't want Kevin to be in trouble, but did she want to go against the law to help him when his fate had not yet been decided? A headache was beginning to form because of the stress plaguing her mind. The entire situation could not be seen in black and white, good and bad. It was cloaked in grays.

"I'm worried about what's going to happen to Kevin." _Honestly is always the best policy, as they seem to say_. Her thoughts were mostly sarcastic at that point. The sentence had been short, but she didn't want to elaborate on it. Explaining it any further might cause an accidental slip of the tongue, which would lead to Luka pondering over the chance that she may wish to do something about it. She wasn't going to risk it. Therefore, she left the statement hanging in the air between their heads.

She could easily sense his curiosity—if his eyes burning holes into the side of her head weren't enough of an indication.

To his credit, he was kind enough to not pester her about it. "So am I, to be honest with you. He's a part of my squad." He paused for a moment as they turned the corner. "That doesn't mean he shouldn't obey the law and get this mess figured out the **right** way, though."

Charlotte glanced at him. "You mean the **lawful** way, yeah?" The tone was a bit needling toward the Russian teenager, prodding at his obedience to the law. It wasn't really meant to be an insult or even a jab at his beliefs. Rather, it was a test to gauge his reaction on the subject of being so devout to not a religion, but a system. Luka looked unperturbed, to her pleasant surprise. He seemed to handle it with such a calm air.

"That's right," he agreed, giving her a little grin. A flash of light orange washed over the emotions she was sensing from him, and there was a quick change in his song. He knew that she had been trying to get a reaction out of him. That, for some reason, made her smile too.

Things were silent between them until they reached the end of the main hall where the path split to each of the student's dorms. It had been a companionable silence, a comfortable one where an understanding was present. Words weren't always necessary. This was doubly so as one of the two teenagers was a somewhat skilled empath.

Just before she was about to turn in the direction of the girls' dorms, she felt Luka put his hand on her shoulder in a firm hold. She faced him, blinking at his cheerful grin. "It'll be okay. Even if Kevin was taken into custody, the school isn't likely to let him be convicted easily. There's always a way."

All she did in response was nod silently. As soon as he released her shoulder, she turned and began to walk away in the direction she'd attempted to travel before.

"You're right, Luka. There's **always** a way."

**The Girls' Dormitory and Main Courtyard, September 23: Night, Xavier's Institute for Higher Learning**

Julian's plan moved into action a couple of hours after dinner. The Hellions squad (or most of them, anyway) found themselves in front of Sofia's dorm, which she shared with Laurie. It was easy to see why the leader of the Hellions would choose the wind manipulator as their extra option. As the squad leader for the New Mutants, Kevin was partly her responsibility. Most of the New Mutants had recently been questioning her capabilities as leader, and that must have been attacking her self-confidence. It would be easy to convince her to assist in their plan because she wouldn't be forced to call the shots. They would be called for her.

Giving his teammates a quick grin, Julian knocked on the door lightly. The other Hellions remained toward his left, leaning on the wall or milling about. After all, it would do no good to crowd her and push their thoughts on the girl. He could handle it on his own.

Sofia opened the door just a crack, only her face and shoulders being visible through the gap. Charlotte could feel the negative emotions swelling inside of the girl even from where she stood. For the smallest of moments, she felt a pang of sympathy hit her. The stress she was under seemed almost unfair, and Julian was going to use that to his advantage for something that could get her into a lot of trouble. She shifted uncomfortably where she stood next to Brian.

"Oh… Julian…"

Another charming grin appeared on the blue-eyed squad leader. "Hey, beautiful… How you doing?" A collective groan was stifled by the rest of the Hellions, as well as a muffled giggle from Cessily.

The brunette female looked away before speaking. It was obvious in her body language that she was definitely under a lot of pressure, which was never good for a young mutant. Her powers could react to these feelings if she let them take over too much. "Not good. Laurie's upset about Kevin. We **all **are," she explained. There was a collective and silent nod of understanding, there. "But I cannot **find** her."

It was time for Julian to send out the bait. "How about I do you one better and **fix** the problem?" The way Julian seemed to ooze confidence was definitely a selling point, and it would only ensure that this phase of the plan would go without a hitch.

"What are you talking about?" Despite still sounding very upset, and definitely confused as well as cautious, there was a feeling of intent curiosity there.

A tiny smirk appeared on Hellion's face, but it wasn't really cold. While it was smug, it also held a look of understanding that was uncommon for him. His tone was determined when he spoke. "Me and the Hellions. We're going to take Kevin **back** from the **F.B.I.** By **force**."

He took a step closer to the teenage girl. "So how about it, Sofia… you **in**?"

"… Yes… I am in." Her voice had started off as more than a little hesitant, but it turned into a definitive agreement toward the end. After all, it wouldn't be her calling the shots, but Julian, and he was an impressive squad leader. Kevin was her responsibility, and she felt as if she'd failed him by allowing them to make an arrest. This was partially her fault. Julian wanted to help, and all she had to do was help him. She could do that.

"Then let's **do** this." The leader of the Hellions actually looked really pleased with himself. It was easy to see **why**. He'd gotten Sofia, his **beautiful**, to work with them.

When she exited her room to join Julian in the hall, she saw the rest of the squad standing outside, expressions generally pleased that she was willing to assist. Just those small hints of positive reactions to her being of help made a lot of difference, and resolved her promise to assist them look even more appealing than before.

Cessily was the first among them to speak to Sofia. "Thank you for agreeing. I know we're not the best of friends… but it means **a lot **to me that you're going to help."

Sofia just nodded with a tiny smile on her face. She wasn't really sure how to respond to that, given the sudden kindness from someone who usually could not stand her roommate. It was shocking, but it also felt very nice to be welcomed so quickly.

The Hellions were an impressive squad. They proved that by how well they worked together during their first Field Day exercise, which the New Mutants were still bitter over. Even though she was squad leader, they blamed her for their loss. She'd tried to earn their respect again by assisting Kevin before, but had been caught. So now the rest of the New Mutants were even going as far as to say she was being too emotional about everything. If her own squad wasn't going to trust her, she was going to put her trust in someone who would return the favor.

If Julian was willing to ask a member of another squad, especially the leader of a squad he initially despised (even if he did seem to have a soft spot for her), it showed that he had at least a little bit of faith in her. That felt good.

Well, Julian certainly looked pleased with himself. And stating that was an understatement. "We're going to suit up and go tomorrow morning. Early. Don't be late, beautiful…" He gave Sofia a quick and charming grin before he spun around on his heel to lead the rest of his squad away. Charlotte remained behind for just a moment, looking uncomfortable.

"Is something bothering you, Charlotte?" At the sound of her accented voice, the freckled girl seemed to start, eyes going wide. It certainly was strange, seeing her so reactive to something so commonplace, but Sofia didn't voice her thoughts. Cheshire was a private sort of person. At least, that was how it all seemed from where she stood. It wasn't as if she'd ever bothered to get to know the girl. For a moment, she felt regret for not doing so. She wasn't mean to any of her squad members. In fact, she didn't seem to bear negativity to **any **member of **any** squad, including the New Mutants.

Charlotte shook her head slowly, hesitating at first. "I'm confident things have a chance of working out, but I'm concerned that someone may want to throw a wrench to gum it all up, you know?" she asked with a shrug. Sofia's confused look at the expression didn't escape her, so she stumbled to form another explanation. "Er… I'm scared that someone wants to ruin Julian's plan. I don't want anything to go wrong. Kevin needs to be brought back."

"I understand. He will be brought back home because we will rescue him."

When she smiled, the freckles on her cheeks made her look so child-like. "You're right. It's good to have you working with us."

Feeling that there was nothing to say, or that her concerns had been answered, Charlotte then followed the other Hellions in walking away, pace a bit faster so she could catch up. _A leader always bears the threat of facing a coup. What I'm wondering is whether it's going to be Sofia or Julian who will have to face that?_

.:: The Price of Loyalty ::.

Morning came faster than any of the plan's participants had expected. However, they each knew what they had to do, and set about doing it as soon as their eyes cracked open at the sound of their respective alarms going off.

However, the one who had to be most careful was Sofia. She roomed with Laurie, and if she were to see the brunette sneaking off somewhere, she'd ask questions. The New Mutants openly disapproved with going against the F.B.I., but she had to do this. They'd see that she was right in this call once Kevin was back at the school as he should be. Perhaps then they wouldn't second guess every single decision she made as squad leader. This could prove them wrong.

So she made sure to sneak out as quietly as possible, shutting the door behind her with barely a sound being made at all. She changed into her New Mutants squad uniform quickly inside of the dorm's hall bathroom. It wasn't until she was finished with all of that and was briskly walking through the main halls of the school that she felt something was off. Someone was watching her, she could **feel** it. But since she couldn't **pinpoint **where the person **was**, she could not bring any sounds without alerting them first. The young leader didn't want to risk that. She continued on her way to the courtyard.

By the time she had arrived, the rest of them were already there and suited up. Julian spotted her quickly, smirking. The rest nodded in acknowledgement, their minds obviously already focused on getting their fellow mutant back to the school were it was safe from the prejudice of regular human beings, it seemed.

They were all there, though, which was reassuring. But she noticed one of the Hellions was not actually present, and she hadn't recalled them being at her door last night. "Is Jay not going to join us on this mission?"

"Nah. He decided to bail out like a New Mu—coward," Julian corrected himself, remembering that Sofia was, in fact, a New Mutant, even if she was alone in this single endeavor. His hands were held up in mock surrender until he saw Sofia's arched brow. The dark-haired squad leader moved a hand through his hair as he turned to his squad, female of interest now joining them. "Well, let's head out before anyone picks up on what we're doing. Cheshire, let me know if you sense anyone."

The mentioned female paused for a second, concentrating. "I sense… no one," she finally replied, glancing around as she did so. Sofia could see that the girl's body language was slightly tense despite her apparent dedication to the plan. Maybe, just maybe, she was still nervous as she had stated last night at her dorm room? It would make sense. Some plans looked good early on, but nerves sometimes got the better of people when it was put into action. Charlotte was known to be calm in harsh situations, though, so Sofia was confident.

Julian thrust his arm out and made a green platform appear beneath his squad mates. Each of them got comfortable, either standing or sitting on the transparently green surface. As for herself, Sofia used the wind to pick her up and send her slowly soaring into the sky in pace with the platform and Julian as well, hair whipping about behind her in the ponytail it was usually tied in.

"So, what is our plan, Julian?" She had to know.

"**Nice** not to be in charge, huh?" That smirk was on his face all over again. It was definitely nice, yes, and calming to know that he was leading things. As Julian, the person, he seemed overconfident and egotistical. But as Hellion, the squad captain and mutant, he was brilliant.

"I would very much like to **lead** one day. But the New Mutants, they did not trust me. So I did not trust myself." For just a fleeting moment, Sofia wondered if Julian ever went through moments where he did not believe in himself. It seemed like he did not. However, she knew there had to be more to him than just the teenager she saw be so pig headed every day. There was always something more.

He glanced at her during her thoughts, smirk slowly turning into a tiny but honest smile. The look on his face was warm, understanding, kind even. It surprised her. "Well, for now, just relax and let **me** do the planning, Sofia." He paused to collect his thoughts and silently go over the plan once more in his mind before explaining it. "We'll scope out the train station. If we get a chance with Kevin away from Agent Pierce, we **snag** him, quiet-like. No one sees a thing."

"And if we **cannot** sneak him out?" The worried notion was a valid one, she believed, and she was curious as to what Julian may have as a backup plan. That is, **if** he had one at all.

The famous smirk was on his face once again. "Then we put down Agent Pierce and all the other FEEB agents. Put them down **hard**."

_That is one way to go about things_, she thought with a glance toward the ground below, _Let us hope it does not come to that. I would rather not fight with the authorities, even if I believe Kevin should not be subject to their common unfairness…_

**Meanwhile, September 23: Morning to Afternoon, Xavier's Institute for Higher Learning**

Noriko Ashida cautiously poked her head into her dorm room, squinting around for a moment to see if her roommate was in—which she hoped wasn't the case. "**Sooraya**? Are you in here?" Hearing no reply, she stepped inside with another glance around at her surroundings. A slightly unfriendly expression appeared on her face. "Because I'm opening the **door** and there could be **boys** in the hall. You might want to throw on your burqa and **cover up**…" she trailed off, finishing in a whisper, "… You big freak."

Still, there was no reply.

The blue-haired girl shrugged her shoulders and waltzed right in, throwing the door shut behind her without much care. If her roommate wasn't around to spoil her fun, she was going to take advantage of the alone time and listen to her music. For some reason she could not understand, Sooraya found her kind of music… displeasing. Well, Noriko found that all-black getup displeasing, so it was even.

"Oh good… you're not here. I can listen to my **music**," she muttered to herself as she popped open the CD latch on her pink miniature stereo. Music was a definite escape for the Japanese teen. Her past sometimes haunted her, but she could let out her feelings while listening to music that reflected how she felt. It was therapeutic. No one could take music away from her because it wasn't something physical. It felt good to know that she had something to turn to at the end of the day.

Besides Luka, of course, he was there too. But Noriko knew that he might go one day to pursue being a superhero or whatever. That was his dream, not hers. They had the present, though, and that was what she knew mattered.

As she was looking through her collection of CDs to listen to, there was a light tapping… at the window, apparently. That was weird.

With a hesitant look, she put her CDs down and made her way to the window where the tapping had started out again. "Hello? Third floor here." _Who the hell would knock on someone's third floor window this early in the day? It better not be Julian pranking me or something because I will light his butt up like a carnival…_

Pushing open the windows, however, she found herself smiling in amusement. Since when had she become so paranoid of Julian and his stupid ways? In fact, with who was at the other side of the glass, she couldn't help but be a little relieved. "But I guess that's not a problem for **you**—is it, Jay?"

Her amused expression wasn't returned, and although it was sort of expected (Jay was known to be quite a somber guy), she knew something wasn't right. Despite usually looking a bit down whenever he thought no one was looking, he was a calm person. Right now, though, he looked determined and even a little angry.

"Noriko… we need ta **talk**," he began, hovering in place as he rode the wind with his large, crimson wings. Students below were gawking at the sight in awe. Mostly girls, as it was silently noted by Noriko with a little grin. His following words made her expression sober up by a whole lot. "My squad is getting into **trouble**. Trouble that could bring the whole **school** down."

_Please tell me the option that this is a prank is still open_, she thought before straightening up and nodding with a troubled expression that rivaled Jay's.

.:: The Price of Loyalty ::.

A pebble splashed against the surface of a crystalline lake, skipping along the surface and leaving rings of disturbance over the calm waters. Another small stone followed not long after, disrupting the peace one again with a small ring that grew over time.

Laurie looked down at the collection of tiny pebbles in her hand, looking upset. The fact that Kevin might go to jail because the school had allowed him to be taken in was still weighing heavily on her mind. He was her **friend**, after all, and she wanted to help him in any way that she could without actually having to go against the F.B.I. or getting in trouble with the government. If that were to happen, it would cause more damage than good. She knew that. But she still felt awful for being unable to help. There was a fluttering sound behind her just as she was about to throw the next pebble, as well as a gust of wind that blew her hair forward.

She turned around, eyes widening. "Jay?"

The redhead did not speak until after his feet firmly touched the ground and his wings had tucked comfortably to their resting position on his back. "Laurie… yer teammates are lookin' for ya." He turned away from her and cupped his hands around his mouth, preparing to call out. "Over **here**, guys!"

"What's going on?"

Jay looked absolutely awkward as he turned his head to face her, hand moving up to rub the back of his neck in a sheepish action. "New Mutants meetin'." The two teenagers could see the New Mutants running toward them at a desperate pace. _What's happening? And why is he here if this __**is **__a New Mutants meeting? _She decided to ask.

"**New Mutants**…? But you're a **Hellion**."

With the disgusted look that appeared on his face after she spoke, she found herself almost regretting having said those words at all. "Don' **remind** me." Something was definitely going on, and Jay was very against it. Of course it had to do with the Hellions.

David, Noriko, Josh, and Luka reached them then. Each of them looked between the two in front of them expectantly. They weren't in their uniforms yet, so that was a good sign, she supposed. There wasn't an immediate emergency. Maybe the Hellions **were **up to something, but Jay didn't want to be a part of it?

Since Sofia wasn't there yet, David stepped forward and looked at Jay. "Okay, Jay… What's going on?"

He took no time in answering. "Julian an' the Hellions… they're goin' ta go and help **Kevin**." In truth, it sounded like a good thing, so why was he making it sound wrong? Laurie glared at him, taking offense at his tone.

"Good! Somebody **should** help him. He didn't do anything** wrong**." She crossed her arms over her chest with a huff and glanced away. It wasn't right that people treated Kevin so differently. Laurie **knew** how kind he was, and this was unfair to him. While she didn't like Julian or most of the Hellions, she agreed with the fact that they were at least doing something to help.

"Laurie," Jay began, sounding genuinely sympathetic, "No one said he **did**. But tha's not **our** decision ta make."

"Besides, Kevin's been arrested by that F.B.I. agent," added David as a backup note to Jay's point of the discussion. Luka made a noise in agreement, his own arms moving to cross over his chest as he regarded the rest of the squad. Noriko's gaze flitted to him for a moment before she visibly relaxed.

It was now Josh's turn to have a say on things, and he liked to make sure his opinion was **heard** or, at least, **acknowledged**. "Which means** Julian's** leading his squad into a direct battle with the **U.S. government**," his tone was a little more than condescending to the other squad who had beaten them in Field Day, "And people call **me** impulsive."

Their Russian teammate chuckled at that, shrugging his shoulders in a noncommittal way when Josh turned to face him with a bit of an annoyed scowl.

"Josh is right," said Noriko after casting a glance toward Luka before visibly relaxing, "We have to stop them. I'll **race** down to the train station."

"Noriko, no. If we go after them, we could make things** worse**. Besides," David trailed off as he placed his hand on Noriko's shoulder, showing his concern for her, "**Sofia** is in charge of our squad. She needs to be in on this talk."

That raised a good question for the New Mutants. Their squad captain was not present for this conversation, and that would not work out for them if they did decide to take a plan of action against what the Hellions were planning. On one hand, they might make things worse, as David said. But on the other hand, if the Hellions weren't stopped soon, the whole school could face the consequences!

Jay sighed, shoulders twitching a bit in agitation. "Sorry, David… But tha's not goin' ta be possible," he explained slowly. Pointing in a general direction behind his shoulder with a thumb, the Kentuckian male continued. "When Ah said no ta Julian, he went ta get **other** help. Ah **followed** him… an; he asked Sofia. She **agreed**." The look of shock on each of their faces hurt a little bit. No one liked being the bearer of bad news—especially the winged mutant with a solitary disposition. "She's with the **Hellions** now!"

"We need to find a teacher—or at the very least, an **instructor**!" cried Luka, raising his palms to face upwards in a heaving shrug. If there was one person among the New Mutants who would oppose this plan more than anyone, it would be him. The justice system, to him, was something to be respected, so the Hellions blatant disregard to that both confused and annoyed him greatly. "This stupid plan of theirs has to be stopped before the whole school gets caught in it. We're **all** going to pay the price because a few students decided to play **Vigilante**."

With a slow nod, Jay agreed with Luka on that point. "They couldn' have left tha' long ago. Ah **caught **Sofia on her way ta the courtyard, but Ah don' think she caught me." He shrugged his broad shoulders quickly, fabric of his white wife beater shifting just so because of his movement.

The blonde female watched him for a moment, reluctantly deciding that they rest of her squad and this one Hellion was ultimately right. They weren't going to get anywhere by trying to take back Kevin with force. It would only make things much worse than they already were.

_As much as I want to save Kevin, and how I know he's innocent, we can't just go against the F.B.I. like the Hellions are! There has to be another way to help him that won't hurt the school… _

"Let's suit up first. Then, we're going to have to go looking for someone to help us. We don't have a lot of time," said David just before he turned and began running off toward the dorms. The rest began to split off toward their objectives not even a single heartbeat later.

They were going to stop the Hellions, no matter what.

.:: The Price of Loyalty ::.

"Are they **crazy**?" Rahne Sinclair, Wolfsbane, advisor to the Paragons, sounded absolutely shocked at the news of a squad of students was actually attempting something so crazy. "They're going to take on the **F.B.I.**?" Hearing out loud made it sound ever **crazier**, if that was even possible.

Josh shrunk back a bit at her tone, shrugging his shoulders in defeat with his palms turned upwards and a sheepish look on his face. "I know. Look, Rahne, not to worry. We plan on **stopping** them."

"Which makes **you** crazy, too! You should tell Cyclops. Let the **X-Men** handle this, Josh." As she was a teacher, she could not exactly allow them to handle this by themselves. They were students, to start with, and if they were to be caught in the middle of a fight with each other… The school could wind up in **a lot **of trouble with the authorities. That was something they all wanted to **avoid**.

She hadn't noticed when Josh had stepped closer to her, expression hardened. Mature. "No. We want do to this ourselves. **Sofia's** with them."

"Then why come to **me**?"

"Well, we're outnumbered. I figured you could—," "You figured **wrong**," she interrupted, glaring back at him with her emerald eyes. She could not—would not—get involved with this. Did Josh really think that she would agree to this just because the two of them were **close**?

Not too far away stood the rest of the group, watching the exchange with differing expressions on their faces as what was supposed to be a calm exchange began to look like an argument. It seemed like they weren't going to get some extra firepower of their own. Things were not looking good for them, and taking on the Hellions as they were now was pretty much asking for trouble. But, more than likely, they might not have another choice.

Laurie pouted, shifting away from facing Josh and Rahne. "I don't know why Josh had to involve **her**."

If David had heard that, he made no comment toward it, merely sticking to their plan. He was calm under the undeniable pressure of handling the current situation. It was impressive. "Laurie… when we catch up with them, let **me **talk to Sofia."

"But I'm her best friend."

"Yeah, but we're going to need your powers," he elaborated, "Besides, part of this is about **me** and the **squad leadership**."

Luka scoffed, shifting his weight. "Glad I'm not the only one who thinks that, Prodigy." Part of him couldn't really blame Sofia for acting the way she was about the leadership issue. Most of the squad, including him, had doubted her authority. This was probably some sort of ploy to show that she could make decisions—the right ones. However, going against federal authorities just didn't seem like the correct way to go about this. He knew that. So, even when trying to prove a point, Sofia was not the best person to follow. She could not make the rational decisions. Although, there was nothing wrong with making emotional choices. The world needed thinkers as much as it needed those who could **feel**.

Back where Josh was speaking with Rahne, the golden-skinned male crossed his arms and squared his shoulders in clear agitation. "So you won't **help**?"

For her credit, Rahne almost looked **regretful**. "Josh… I can't help you break the **rules**." _More than I already have…_ she continued silently in her head.

"Fine. Whatever." He did not sound pleased. "I gotta go." Knowing there was no other way to convince her to help them; he turned away, risking one more glance to see if she looked as if she was at least **considering** what he said. She looked pretty damn sure. "Just do me a **favor**… don't tell the **faculty**, okay?"

_Josh… __**I **__won't be the one who told the faculty. You are._

**Kevin Ford and the Hellions Squad, September 23: Afternoon, Salem Center Station Metro-North Line**

After keeping him in a secure room for the past few days, they were now going to take him back to Atlanta, where he was going to stand trial for the murder of his father. No one could understand how he felt just then, being silently and falsely accused. They didn't need to **say** anything; he knew they already saw him as guilty. The false kindness of a legal trial in a courtroom was just a way of delaying the inevitable.

If he wasn't handcuffed, he would have buried his face in his hands at that point. It all felt so **stupid**, so pointless. His own guardian had allowed him to be taken away from the one place where he felt safe for just a little while, and it hurt a lot. Kevin was angry, depressed, and felt betrayed. All of those emotions left a painful lingering sensation in his gut that just wouldn't go away.

Agent Pierce's voice suddenly came from behind him. "Kevin, your teacher, Ms. Moonstar… she says I can **trust** you."

_Nice to know that one of us __**muties**__ can be trusted, huh?_

"So tell you what? Let's get these **off**." There was some light shuffling behind him, and he felt the handcuffs tying his hands behind his back being tinkered with as the agent began to work on removing them. "Look, I **know **this feels like the end of the world…" he had continued.

Kevin stood. Pierce followed automatically, as if expecting trouble. _Of __**course**__ he's expecting trouble from a teenager with deadly mutant powers who was arrested against his will. If I was him, I'd probably be even more paranoid. That doesn't make me feel any better, though. _

"Do you **really** know? When my powers developed, they killed my **dad**. The one person who really **cared** about me. And I gotta stand **trial** for that, like I **wanted** it." _It may not be the end of the world for __**you**__, Agent Pierce,____but you're not the one who's going to go to jail for being born a freak among freaks with uncontrollable powers that ruined your life! No one is here to defend me. None of them ever cared about me when I was there, anyway. Save for Laurie… she cared, didn't she? _

He could never really blame her for anything. All she had ever been was nice to him when the other students tended to avoid him. Besides her, Charlotte had always extended a kind hand, but she was kind to pretty much everything with a pulse. But the way she looked at him had always been different than the way she looked at, say, Julian or Josh.

There was also Cessily. The mercury-skinned mutant seemed to pay special attention to him, despite them being in rival squads. She'd even told him that being on separate teams didn't need to put them against each other, and honestly, it had been a great comfort in knowing that. But she did seem to bear a lot of animosity for Laurie, and that bothered him. Had something happened between them?

Once again, Pierce's voice brought him back to reality with a harsh force. "You're acting like you're already **convicted**," _Might as well be_. "You won't be. You just have to—."

"Agent Pierce, I really have to go to the bathroom. Can you save your pep talk for later?" Kevin was **not** in the mood for more lies from the F.B.I. agent, no matter how many times he had been told that he was safe from conviction and would be going back to the mansion after everyone saw that it had all been an unfortunate accident. There had been a bunch of **unfortunate accidents** before him concerning mutants, all they'd been convicted just for being as they were. How would he be different? The answer was he would **not** be.

"Sure, kid." The slightly annoyed hesitance could be heard. Kevin paid that factor no mind and just pushed the door to the bathroom open. He didn't really **need** to use the restroom; he'd just wanted some time to himself…

"Great. Guessing climbing through the window is out." Escaping was not an open option to him, it seemed, and that squashed what little hope he'd managed to grasp onto. The brunette cursed under his breath at that point. He was really out of luck then, and there would be no stopping his fate. It all seemed so hopeless.

_Might as well go while I'm here…_ he thought, turning to open the stall.

"Cheer up, Kevin…" came a disembodied voice from the cracked open window he had just cursed the very existence of not even a minute ago. Kevin started, staring wide-eyed at the slithering substance that poured from the outside into the bathroom. Then, it began to form into a person. "… The **cavalry's** here!"

"**Cessily**!"

Her slightly transparent face seemed to light up at the sound of him saying her name in such a relieved tone. "You didn't think the Hellions would let you get arrested, did you?" The tone of voice was a friendly mocking, which brought a little grin to the male's face. Mercury felt her heart flutter, which was odd, considering she no longer had any organs within her body. It **still **felt nice but nauseating at the same time. Anyway, she needed to concentrate on the **plan**. "Now step away from the wall. We're gonna bust you out."

Right away, he obliged, moving back a couple of paces while he watched her slip into that liquefied form and make her way back out of the cracked open window to the Hellions outside. A light feeling was in his chest, despite the worry now laced in their as well. What if they got caught? Wouldn't they get in even more trouble? That didn't really matter, though. A group of people were actually attempting to take him back.

Outside, Mercury reformed and slid down to the ground. "Okay, guys. He's alone in there. We're a **go**!"

Julian smiled smugly. Using Cheshire to sense Kevin's presence by pushing her empathic abilities had been a good idea, after all. She had picked up his desire for solitude and escape, and they'd been able to track it to the area, where they found an open window.

"And can I say for the record, these costumes **rock**! It's so nice to be able to use my power and not wind up **naked**!" Cessily looked at her costume with gleeful awe, swinging around to see if the entire thing had remained intact, which it had.

Hellion smiled, despite the seriousness of the general situation. It was good to see her happy. "Small talk later, Cess. We got work to do. I'm taking this wall down **now**." The familiar green telekinetic energy he was known for appeared around his hand in the form of a transparent orb. His powers were already activated, and all it would take to bring that wall down was a mere **thought**. "This won't be **quiet**. So we move **fast**. Everyone be prepared to take out the **F.B.I.** if we have to."

He nodded to his team before returning his concentration back to the wall. It was time to bust Kevin free and take him back to the school. If the plan went along without a hitch, they might even make it back in time to have a late lunch and catch a movie.

"See, now that's a really **bad** plan…" came a voice from a small distance away. The voice came from the parking lot, and it was annoyingly familiar.

The Hellions and Wind Dancer turned in surprise, and Hellion heard Cheshire curse under her breath in a silent chide. She hadn't sensed them because they had made sure to remain out of her sensory range until they'd made themselves known.

Prodigy was the one who had spoken. He was standing in the front, looking every bit the leader he had taken the responsibility of. "… You guys are making a **huge** mistake and we have to **stop** you."

As it seemed, they were more than ready to take on the Hellions and their squad leader. There was only determination in each of their expressions, and it was quite the interesting shift in attitude for the New Mutants, as far as Hellion was concerned. That didn't mean they were going to get away with trying to ruin the plan, though.

While most of the Hellions squad members were already prepared to fight back (Cessily was especially looking angry), Sofia looked shocked. Why was her squad here? And why was Icarus with them? Were they not there to help them? "David? You are here to **stop** us, not **help** us?"

"Of course they are, Sofia. Figures," he scoffed, hand now glowing with energy. "This fight has been brewing for a while."

Rockslide stepped forward, posture menacing. It was an intimidation tactic that Hellion commonly used to his advantage of. Such an act made the team look more menacing in perspective. Tag's hands were already lit up and ready to go. Mercury was looking even more livid after his confirmation of a fight going to happen. All she wanted was to save Kevin, and now it was probably going to be ruined because of the New Mutants. He could see why she was so angry. Cheshire, as always, was the most challenging to get a read on, but even she looked a bit bothered by the inference. She seemed upset in the sense of sadness, however.

He glared at the New Mutants and Icarus. There were more people on his side, but that didn't stop the worry from settling in his gut. Sure, Julian was egotistical, but even he knew that numbers did not make a victory—skill did. Passion and drive won battles. Sofia, Santo, Brian, Cessily, Charlotte, and Kevin (if they sprung him out) were on his side. They had David, Noriko, Luka, Laurie, Josh, and Jay. This was going to be a hard fight. But the Hellions were ready.

"Let's **do** it," he challenged with a smirk.


End file.
